The Forge

Lk6:36-Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful... Grace is defined as receiving what we don’t deserve. Mercy is defined as not receiving what we do deserve. The Father has given us grace and mercy. He desires that we extend both to those we interact with. Mercy also expresses a deep pity, compassion, and tenderness. These don’t come naturally when dealing with so called enemies. But underlying the attitudes of those who oppose us is often an emptiness. That’s where mercy comes in. Our mercy shows how the love of God can fill that emptiness. How are you doing with showing mercy? Let’s let the Spirit empower us to give in a radically different way. We’ve been extended mercy. Let’s pass it on.

Lk6:35-But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked... God extends His kindness to all. Even to those who oppose Him and do not want of accept His grace. That is the kind of heart attitude that He desires we carrying and extend to those who oppose us or don’t have our best interests in mind. Let’s let the Spirit build in us the Father’s heart so that we might extend kindness unconditionally. As we do, He sees and gives back to us rewarding His kind of heart.

Lk6:34-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... We often want equity in how we interact with others. But went it comes to those who oppose us, equity doesn’t exist. Often we feel drained, depleted, and sometimes abused. It’s interesting how Jesus uses lending to define relationships. If our giving and doing for others has expectations, it’s really a loan we expect to be paid back. How are you doing with your expectations of others? Let’s let the Spirit help us to give and do without expectations. That will free our heart to live and love like Jesus.

Lk6:32-33-If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same... Here is why Jesus included the Golden Rule while talking about how we treat our enemies. It doesn’t take much effort to love those who love us or do good to those who are good to us. But for those that treat us as invisible, second class, or have written us off, effort is required. We have to fight the urge to write them off too. How are you doing with people who treat you poorly? The ability to love those that don’t love us is a foundational mark of a Christian. Let’s let the Spirit give us what we don’t feel we have so we can love unconditionally.

Lk6:31-Do to others as you would have them do to you... We all recognize this as the Golden Rule. It speaks of a desire to render to others was is best and optimal for them. What makes this more interesting is that Jesus speaks of this in the context of how we interact with and treat our enemies. Wow! It seems that the test of the Golden Rule really is seen by how we treat our enemies. How are you doing with applying the Golden Rule? We often want to be selective in applying it. Let’s let the Spirit broaden our ability to apply it. That’s how we become part of His redemptive plan.