But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matthew 5:44-45
Jesus asks for us to view people and act toward people as God does. That is a big command. God's primary action with humanity is a gracious benevolence toward sinners, even as he must at some point punish all sin. Each day of life granted to both good people and bad is an act of divine mercy. The Lord's nourishing rain will fall on both the just and the unjust.
I don't have the power to give a day of life to myself or to anyone. I can't bring sunshine or rain. But I do have the power to care for people and treat them with respect. And that should be granted, like God's own heart grants life to each person, to anyone, regardless of their status as believer or unbeliever, and no matter what kind of sinner I may think them to be. I should especially be merciful to grant human care to people that I see as lost in sin.
If I see all people as granted life by God so that they might have time to repent, why not also extend my benevolence? I should share God's love and the gospel out of respect for God's love for His world. He loves us even as sinners. Christ's death and resurrection forever prove that to be true and call me to consider how I might be a means to proclaim the gospel to those whom God grants merciful life daily in hopes of it leading to repentance.
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