| The Ministry of Comfort |
Chapter 21 |
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The Master would have all His followers like Him in this. He has taught us that we are to love as He loved. “As I have loved you,” the new commandment runs. We are to show to others the same forgiveness that we ask from God for ourselves. We are to love our enemies as Jesus loved His enemies. When others use us despitefully, we are to pray for them, instead of resenting their unkindness and cherishing bitterness toward them in our heart.
This is one point at which we need to keep most careful watch over our own life. We are naturally disposed to resent wrongs done to us and to be affected in our own disposition by the treatment we receive from others. When we have denied ourselves and made sacrifices to help another, and he shows not appreciation, no gratitude, the danger is that the warmth of our love shall be chilled, and the flow of our kindness checked.
The old teaching was that one should forgive another three times. Peter thought he was taking a great stride forward when he suggested that a Christian should forgive seven times. But Jesus set the standard far beyond Peter’s, saying, “Not seven times, but seventy times seven.” That is, forgiveness is to be exhaustless. We are never to weary of exercising it. However often one may repeat his offence against us, we are still to be ready to forgive and forgive. The same is true of patience, of compassion, of kindness, of all goodness. The love in our heart is to be unfailing, like a spring of water which flows unintermittingly.
Yet there are many things to discourage kindness, to make the kindly disposed restrain their gentle impulses and withhold their hand from ministry. Ingratitude is too common. Too often those we help, even at much cost to ourselves, prove unworthy. Nothing comes of our efforts to do them good. They promise to do better, but soon are back again in the old paths. They take our favours and enjoy our gifts, and pay us with neglect or injustice. Too frequently those for whom we have done the most make the smallest return. It is easy in such experience to conclude that it is not worth while to continue to show favours or to deny ourselves to do others good, since nothing comes of it – nothing but disappointment.
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