Now, that is a MOUSE! Imagine, praying for someone who wants to kill you in one of the most terrifying ways possible – by eating you alive. Yet, that is what this mouse is doing, praying for his mortal enemy.
What a lesson for those who follow Jesus! Remember, Jesus said…
Matthew 5 ( World English Bible )
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’
44 But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,
45 that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?
47 If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Almost everyone has the capacity to pray for your friends ( or perhaps even your close relatives ), but your enemies? Yet, this is what Jesus tells his followers to do. Then, Jesus draws a conclusion from this instruction – by doing this, you will be perfect ( as your heavenly Father is perfect ). This perfection is not just a mental state, it is a practice to follow when interacting with everyone.
Consider the following Old Testament passages…
18 “‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh.
Proverbs 25 ( WEB )
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink:
Exodus 23 ( WEB )
4 “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
5 If you see the donkey of him who hates you fallen down under his burden, don’t leave him, you shall surely help him with it.
All these things combine attitudes and actions that God would do. To summarize- love like God does. Its amazing the things that you can learn from a mouse, isn’t it?
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