Love Your Enemy

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?...And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?...love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." Luke 6:32-36

As I read these verses this morning I couldn't help but think of how our faith in Christ would really stand out if we were willing to live by such a simple yet challenging rule. Love those who are unloveable...Do good unto those who never (and may never) do good unto you...show mercy to the unmerciful...the reward: sons of the Most High.

Think about it - Jesus came unto His own and they didn't receive Him. He showed love, compassion, and mercy to the very same people who would crucify Him. While being nailed to the cross He said, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they do." And yet we go on loving those who love us back, doing good to those who will return the favor, and only lending to those who will most assuredly pay us back in the end.

Can we give without reservations and expectations? Are we willing to be spent in order to assure eternal life for someone even if we may never see the results with our own eyes? Will we ever be so totally obsessed with God that we can sit at the table that He has prepared for us in the presence of our enemies (Psalm 23)? These are some hard questions. However, if we would be willing to part with our worldly value system and begin to see even our enemies through the eyes of God, maybe just maybe we will be able to lead someone to Christ.

Jennifer was flipping through the channels yesterday evening and Dr. Phil was talking with several different families. I listned in horror as I heard a lady telling a child that she was always angry with her and didn't have any positive feeling for her, etc. I'm not sure the situation but it sounded like an extedned family type deal. What blew me away was the unwillingness of this woman to be able to look beyond her own feelings. This lady was so caught up in herself that she couldn't reach out to this teenager with any affection. It was sad. But what I saw in this lady is too often par for the course. Can we reach out with a hand of love even if it means pulling back a nub? Jesus did!

Make an effort today to love the unloveable. Do good to those who have never deserved it. Be merciful just as God has shown mercy to us. You can be assured that your faith will stand out.