The Challenge of/to Love

Luke 6:35-36, But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

I would be a son of the Most High. But that means learning to show kindness toward the ungrateful (so hard!) and evil (even harder!). Mercy–the withholding of a judgment rightfully due–is so unnatural to human beings who engage in tits for tats all in the name of fairness! How mean and lowly we are! If God Himself could be merciful to us and spare us our rightful place in hellfire, how shall we not show mercy to a brother who offends us even in the most unspeakable ways? Sons of the Most High know just how much they have been forgiven and, living in the constant reality of God’s never ending mercy, must themselves relinquish their claims to the pounds of flesh due them. And not only do they forgive, they give as God does!

This Christian life is impossible to live if we do not have our eyes fixed on Christ who only demands of us that which He Himself first demonstrated toward us. Only by keeping in mind Jesus and His kindness to us do we find the impetus to live out this example before others who are not naturally lovable.