"But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind to the unthankful and to the evil."
Luke 6:35
I really like this. It is really hard to love your enemies... you know, because the "enemy" part already means you kind of don't like them. And doing good and lending without expecting anything in return is also hard. It's deep and true love to help and love your enemies, knowing that they don't give a crap about you in return, and aren't going to be nice back, and they'll never return what they borrowed. It's the kind of love that God has, and the kind that we need to learn.
Not that learning to love anyone is a cakewalk, of course, but it is significantly easier when you get cooperation from the other side. When they like you back, at least a little... at least sometimes. When they don't, and never will... that is when we have a true test. Can we still love? Can we still be Christlike, facing those people who will never accept us or even be polite to us? Can we love the guy on the sidewalk that smells and insults us? Can we love the boss that passes us over for a raise? Can we love the people who are breaking the law of the land, or God's laws? Tough, and other circumstances equally so or harder. But it is what God asks of us. Why? To torture us? To drive us to the dust in humility? I don't think that is the point.
I think the point is to learn to be like our Father. And our Father loves us... all of us... even when we are unthankful and evil. Even when we screw everything up. Even when we are insulting and smelly. Even when we make bad calls. Even when we are intentionally cruel. Even when we aren't doing as he asks. He loves us. And he wants us to love each other the same way... not for the torture value, but because he want us to grow up to be like he is, and to have all that he has. Today, let's work on being kind and good anyway, whether or not we get kindness or goodness in return.
Luke 6:35
I really like this. It is really hard to love your enemies... you know, because the "enemy" part already means you kind of don't like them. And doing good and lending without expecting anything in return is also hard. It's deep and true love to help and love your enemies, knowing that they don't give a crap about you in return, and aren't going to be nice back, and they'll never return what they borrowed. It's the kind of love that God has, and the kind that we need to learn.
Not that learning to love anyone is a cakewalk, of course, but it is significantly easier when you get cooperation from the other side. When they like you back, at least a little... at least sometimes. When they don't, and never will... that is when we have a true test. Can we still love? Can we still be Christlike, facing those people who will never accept us or even be polite to us? Can we love the guy on the sidewalk that smells and insults us? Can we love the boss that passes us over for a raise? Can we love the people who are breaking the law of the land, or God's laws? Tough, and other circumstances equally so or harder. But it is what God asks of us. Why? To torture us? To drive us to the dust in humility? I don't think that is the point.
I think the point is to learn to be like our Father. And our Father loves us... all of us... even when we are unthankful and evil. Even when we screw everything up. Even when we are insulting and smelly. Even when we make bad calls. Even when we are intentionally cruel. Even when we aren't doing as he asks. He loves us. And he wants us to love each other the same way... not for the torture value, but because he want us to grow up to be like he is, and to have all that he has. Today, let's work on being kind and good anyway, whether or not we get kindness or goodness in return.
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