Enemy Love

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Luke 6:35-36 NIV

Thinking purely in human terms an enemy is someone to be defeated, destroyed and killed. That is a mutual stance. But, in the kingdom of God, that is not necessarily how it works. 

In Christ, God is merciful to us, even though we were ungrateful and wicked. We, even after accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior, often act more like enemies of God than faithful servants. Yet, he still loves us faithfully and mercifully. 

Now the application of this truth is that we need to be merciful to the ungrateful and wicked people in our lives. A few people come to mind that I know I will probably see today. Because I work with them. Who comes to mind for you?

Lord, give us the love to be merciful to our enemies just as you have been and are merciful to us. 

Give the Grace You Hope to Get

So, in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 7:12

Sandwiched in between teachings on judging others, asking God who wants to give us good gifts, entering through the narrow gate and recognizing a tree by its fruit is the Golden Rule. 

In verse 11, Jesus stressed that we need to understand that our natural desire to give good gifts to our children is just a fraction of the love that God has for us and his desire to give us good things. Then, in verse 12, in the Golden Rule, Jesus teaches us to go beyond empathy and treat others how we want them to treat us. This he says is what the entire Law and the Prophets is trying to say. 

Just take a moment and apply the Golden Rule to a few things...

You forgot to do something.

You lost your patience.

You spoke too soon.

You misunderstood.

Again. 

Give the grace who hope to get. 

SIMPLE GODLINESS/ Titus 2:11-13

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. I teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of Christ." Titus 2:11-13

One of the great blessing of my life was being able to attend Capernwray Bible School in England for a year. So, while studying the Bible I was able to see a little bit of Europe. There was something that tourists, particularly Americans, did. Americans tend to walk with their heads up. The Europeans told me we were cocky because of that. I laughed and explained that we were not be arrogant, we were just looking at all the amazing architecture. But, you see, when you walk uprightly it is generally perceived as confidence. 

What does someone do when they know they did something wrong and asked? If they have a conscience, they bow their head. I once asked a teacher if they had said something to a student. He bowed his head and said, "Yes. Yes, I did. It will never happen again".

The idea of living an upright and godly life is that when we seek to love others as Christ loved us we can rest in the assurance that we did the right thing. Mark Twain said, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."  

In I John 2:10 reminds us, "Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble." Love as Christ loves you. 

Father, teach us to say "No" to ungodliness and "Yes" to godliness. Spirit of God, reign in us. Praise be to you in us today.