Luke 6:27-31 – “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”  NKJV

Within most human hearts the concept of ‘loving our enemies’ is foreign to our nature.  Even after we become Christians this is a most difficult concept to fully implement even if we understand it, believe it to be right, and want to obey.  It is incredibly difficult to feel any charity toward someone who has hurt, is hurting, or will hurt you.  Someone so filled with hate for you they participate in attempts to do you injury makes it a very difficult to ‘do them good.’  Lord, don’t you know what they did?  For someone to openly curse you wishing your destruction to BLESS THEM is almost inconceivable and if they physically abuse you to ‘turn the other cheek’ is out of the question for many.  I have had some in church tell me, “I don’t get mad I get even” and did not feel the least bit contradictory in their testimony and actions.  If someone steals from you to give them additional stuff is not normal in the human family, at least not most of it.  Then the clincher is the last sentence brings it all home, “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”  WOW!

The last sentence brings home the principle of ‘sowing and reaping’ that we reap WHAT we sow, MORE than we sow and LATER than we sow but we REAP!  We reap in kind and if we sow to the wind we reap the whirlwind.  Believing this is truth is easy because it is in the Bible and comes from our Lord Himself but putting into practice in our lives is not so simple.  Most believers try but many fail miserably in the application of this truth.

Have you ever thought about the reality of conflict in the religious or church world and then placed that alongside this passage?  If we cannot accomplish this with those of like precious faith how in the world will we do it with those who are outside the faith?  Someone challenged that with me and said, “Well being hurt by someone who is supposed to know better and be better is more difficult than someone who lives in darkness.”  Maybe that is true for I know that being wounded by a friend or fellow believer has left a more painful sting than when an unbeliever hurls their barbs.  Regardless the directive is that we are to love, serve, bless, mediate peace, exhibit charity and consider others regardless.

Understand I am not saying anyone should remain joined to someone who abuses them nor am I saying one is prohibited from self-defense.  What I am saying is that if we seek to manifest Jesus in all things and at all times we will be hurt and will suffer loss but if we understand God’s principles we will find that ULTIMATELY we will reap great reward.

In the next portion of that scripture Jesus clearly identifies that if we love those who love us back, which is normal, we have not done anything spectacular. If we reciprocate in good deed for good deed we have really not done anything worthy of note.  On the other hand if we truly exhibit love for those that hate us and help those that can never repay that is a horse of quite another color and something that God does not overlook.  The idea is not doing things trying to earn God’s favor but to be reflective of His character.  The motive is always important in the action.

            May God be with you as you go through this day!  Blessings!