Today I saw one heavily laden black cloud but it was surrounded by a profuse display of light. The metaphorical black clouds of life are no match for the love and light of Jesus. In Matthew 5:45b, Jesus says that God "causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous". As His followers, Jesus wants us to exude goodness, equally to all, to the utmost. Matthew 5 is full of examples of this, starting with the Beatitudes which signify us accepting our 'black clouds' with love. We are to be the salt of the earth and a light to the world. We are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Being angry towards others reveals a murderous heart, as with lusting over a woman with ones eyes being a form of adultery. The list goes on. This means that in our deep gratitude to Jesus for taking our sin on the cross, it does not mean we can subsequently do whatever we like. Far from it, Jesus wants us to "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48)
