February 23, 2019
For full passage click: Luke 6:27-31 …“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you… Do to others as you would have them do to you.” vs. 27, 31
In Luke’s Sermon on the Plain, Jesus gives his followers their marching orders in words that we regularly quote but seldom take to heart. It’s just too hard to love enemies and practice the golden rule. It flies in the face of everything our cultural trend setters say and do. We only have to listen to radio pundits or cable news hosts for a few minutes before hearing vicious hateful rants against real or imagined enemies. The golden rule of nearly every politician is “Do to others as they’ve done to you.” And these aren’t just random occurrences! Day after day we’re bombarded with news reports and social media posts that stir anger and encourage hatred. It’s an unrelenting onslaught and it’s not going to stop any time soon. In that kind of toxic environment, followers of the Jesus Way stand out. In this world of hate and distorted truth we will regularly show love to our enemies and do good to those who hate us. And we will treat others exactly the way we’d like to be treated. When we’re offended or disrespected, we will speak kindly and gently, putting the very best construction on whatever has been said or done. We will bless those who curse us and not exact revenge. Can we live like that? Of course, if Jesus could do it so can we!
Thought for the Day: Why do so many good people ignore Jesus’ teachings?
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