“Look for the good in others, and you will find good.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – January 15, 2024
You have heard that it has been said, ‘You must love your neighbor and hate those who hate you.’ But I tell you, love those who hate you. (*Respect and give thanks for those who say bad things to you. Do good to those who hate you.) Pray for those who do bad things to you and who make it hard for you. Then you may be the sons of your Father Who is in heaven. His sun shines on bad people and on good people. He sends rain on those who are right with God and on those who are not right with God. Matthew 5:43-45, NLV
Martin Luther King, Jr. said these words in his sermon, Love Your Enemies, preached in 1957 at Howard University in Washington, D.C.,
The person who hates you most has some good in him; even the nation that hates you most has some good in it; even the race that hates you most has some good in it. And when you come to the point that you look in the face of every man and see deep down within him what religion calls “the image of God,” you begin to love him in spite of what he does; you see God’s image there. There is an element of goodness that he can never slough off. Discover the element of good in your enemy. And as you seek to hate him, find the center of goodness and place your attention there, and you will take a new attitude.
Dr. King reminds us of what Jesus was referring to when he gave the radical command to love our enemies. A way to love our enemies is to look for the good in them as people who are created in the image of God. It doesn’t mean we always agree with them or even like them, but by God’s grace, we are respectful and look for what we can agree on and how we can learn from one another. All human beings struggle with doing the right thing over succumbing to the wrong. As Paul says in Romans 7, “For I want to do good, but I do not. I do not do the good I want to do… I thank God I can be free through Jesus Christ our Lord!” The struggle to do good is always present, but thanks to God, the solution to the struggle is close by for the followers of Jesus. We are free by surrendering our divisive selves to the healing power of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Love looks for the good in another and builds relational bridges to better know each other.
At the beginning of his sermon, Dr. King reminded his listeners of the reality that there will always be someone who doesn’t like something about you. You may have been promoted at work over someone who felt more deserving, so now you are resented. How you talk or look may cause another to look down on you as less educated or, in contrast, envious of your elite education. Your skin color, where you grew up, where you work, and your religious and political affiliations may put you on another’s bad list without ever really getting to know you. Unless human beings intentionally tear down walls of prejudice and build relational bridges over lagoons of differences, fights will fester. Look for the good in others, and you will find good.
Most of all, be grateful for the goodness of God. Knowing and appreciating how your heavenly Father loves you and others unconditionally is the basis of your looking for and finding goodness in another. If you are predisposed to only finding fault, that will be your relational default, with no room for grace and forgiveness. But when you discover a person’s charitable side, you can assume a greater potential for goodness. Start with a respectful tone of voice, calming body language, and a teachable spirit. When you disagree, bring out the good points in the other’s argument while humbly explaining your position. God sends the sun and rain to bless those who are right with Him and those who are not right with Him. Follow God’s example by being the light of love and the rain of respect, causing goodness to take root and flourish in everyone.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, give me eyes of love to look for the good in your beloved creation through Christ’s love and in Jesus’ name.
Application
Further study and reflection on 4 Ways to Look for the Good in Others.
Boyd’s story on a 5-minute Podcast – Unified by Jesus: A Remedy for Racism
Related Reading
John 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Philippians 2:3-4; 1 Peter 4:8
Worship Resource
Elevation Worship: Been So Good & Goodness of God
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