Crazy Love!

SCRIPTURE

Luke 5:28-29 “…, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION

Some things that Jesus says are just really hard to swallow. I’m a pastor and I have a hard time looking at these things. I can believe and have faith that He lived a sinless life, died for the sins of the world, came back to life and ascended into heaven. Why is it then so hard to believe that we can do what He commands us to do here? He says that we are to:

LOVE your ENEMIES, DO GOOD to those who HATE you, BLESS those who CURSE you, PRAY for ABUSE you (well at least you don’t have to hang out with them right? pray from a distance).

It’s easy for us to love the one we love, bless those that we care about, do good for those that like us and do good to us, and to pray for those that are doing good to us. Right’s it’s almost like, ‘keep it up bud, you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.’

Here’s what Jesus is getting at. He didn’t come to sacrifice His life and become the sins of the world, JUST for the ones that would like Him and be nice to Him. He loves all of humanity, even His enemies, He is doing good to all, even those who hated Him, He blessed those who cursed Him and the ones that abused Him and hung Him on the cross, Jesus prayed for them ‘Father, forgive them…’

For this reason, if we are to be His followers, we FOLLOW what He did. To those that show us hate and bitterness, we love unconditionally!

It’s crazy! A lot easier said than done.

PRAYER

Father, help me to do this. Help me to not just love and do good to those that treat me well. Holy Spirit give me the eyes to see people as you see them and the strength to look beyond any hurtful things that might come my way. Thank you Jesus. Amen

(Also posted at http://www.newlifetc.com)