Which side are you on?
- Jacob Ninan
In democratic countries there is a ruling party and an opposition party. Usually it happens that the opposition party keeps opposing whatever the ruling party proposes, because that is how they see their role! On the other side, the people in the ruling party always support the party position. The question that bothers these people is which side they are on, and not what the issue is.
What about us Christians? If the teacher wants to meet you because your son has done something wrong, do you argue that he is innocent and that it is the teacher's fault? Do you think that is what it is to take your son's side? Sure, we must be on our son's side in that we love him and stand by him even when he has done wrong. But taking sides with him against the truth is not pleasing to the Lord, is it?
That was about right and wrong. Let's go a bit further. If our enemy is suffering, do we get a thrill out of it or do we feel sorry for him? If we wish that he will get what he really deserves, whose side are we on, on the side of God who has shown us unmerited favour or with the devil who gets a thrill out of making us miserable?
These are issues that separate godly people from the ordinary. We may be Christians in that we have received forgiveness of sins and experienced that much of salvation. But godliness is more than that. It is to have the mind of Christ in us.
Jesus once mentioned about loving our enemies as going beyond what ordinary people do, that is, loving those who love us. He said that His Father is good both to the righteous and to the unrighteous (Mt.5:44-47). That is godliness. When we become godly, and only then, we will be able to truly love our neighbour as ourselves (Mt.22:39). Then we will wish for the others what we wish for ourselves (Lk.6:31).
When we are on the side of truth, goodness, etc., we are on God's side. Or do we take our stand with "I, me and mine?"