A Thorough Conversion

Hypothetically speaking, what would you do if your car was towed from a restaurant on Franklin street to which you were a patron? Before you answer, what if you were in said restaurant trying to encourage people to follow the Lord, and in general be God’s witness in the world while people were scheming to take your wheels and hold them hostage for $150 cash? Let’s say you spoke with the manager of this restaurant, yet the manager was not willing to consider that you are a regular? Every week you bring one or two people with you to his establishment to have breakfast or lunch, but still you were told to deal with it by calling the towing company. How would you feel? What would you do? (Remember this is all hypothetical of course.)

Let’s just say I experienced a “similar” wrong-doing as I described above earlier this week. I hate to say it, but I wished for a special dispensation to not be a Christian at that moment. There were words I wanted to utter that do not lead to Paul’s encouragement in Eph. 5:19, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…” Needless to say, there was no music making in my heart that moment…only revenge for the violation.

Yet, the question remains, “What would you do?” Would you boycott the establishment? Would you call to tow the manager’s car? Would you go back, buy some coffee and then proceed to “spill” it on the manager? I am sure that none of you would do such vile things.

However, after much reflection, and cooling off I might add, these words came rolling into my mind (I will highlight them in red because they come straight from Jesus himself):

Luke 6:27 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your truck, do not stop him from taking your money. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Now, let’s be honest, my little made up example is not something to be compared with what Jesus has in mind here. I would not say that there are “enemies” at that restaurant, but an example like this could have the effect of a hot iron being pressed upon one’s soul testing to see just how far one’s heart has been converted to Christ’s lordship.

Pray with me that our hearts would be thoroughly converted to love those who might mistreat us this week.