This week’s devotions are based on Week 4 of Tough Love: Love Your Enemies (LISTEN HERE)
Being like them is easy.
Following the crowd is often the path of least resistance.
Doing what comes natural is quick.
But is it the right thing?
Is it the safe thing?
Maybe at times, but not always.
Jesus loves us enough to guide us closer to him, but challenges us to “not be like them.”
Luke 6:32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.
What is easy is to love those people who love us. If someone does a kind thing to us, we find it easier to do a kind thing in return. If someone shares with us their time or resources, it is easy to share our resources with them. If someone gives us a gift, we can more easily share a gift with others.
The world around us knows how to do this.
But…
This little conjunction turns the table on what comes easy and shifts to what is much more difficult.
Jesus says, “But…love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.”
The difficult is to love someone who has hurt us. What is challenging is to do good to those that frustrate us.
Why is it so hard?
Our sinful nature wants to take revenge or write off someone who is mean to us.
We think that we will feel better if we simply do good to those who do good to us and do wrong to those that wrong us. This feels like what is right.
Jesus sets our hearts on a different direction to reflect his heart.
Jesus was willing to love his enemies…which included us.
Jesus was willing to do good to those who didn’t do good to him.
Jesus was willing to give of himself to those who were unwilling to give themselves to him.
But he did.
Because he wasn’t interested in what was easiest, but what was right.
Jesus was interested in loving his enemies, because he wanted us to receive his love.
Jesus was interested in giving himself for us, because we could never give enough to him.
Why?
Because he loves you.
And when God’s love is at work, we are not like “them” but we are like him, our Savior Jesus.
Apply: What situations are you facing today that challenge you to love like Jesus rather than what comes naturally through my sinful nature?
Prayer: Lord, help us to be like you and willing to love my enemies and do good to those that hurt me. AMEN.