"But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you." Matt 5:44
Jesus came to not only bring reconciliation between God and man, but also to heal broken human relationships. There is both a horizontal and vertical dimension to the gospel. The command to love God and love one's neighbor is in fact impossible without Christ. Forgiveness is supernatural. It is exclusively God's domain. For this reason, how we treat our enemies is crucial dimension to the mission God gave us. Jesus didn't exempt his disciples from reaching those they didn't like. He called them to intentionally love the unlovable. The reason is profoundly important. It is in the context of the humanly impossible that the love of Christ shines through in the most brilliant way. It is when we do the unexpected that people stand up and take notice. The greatest amplification of the gospel message comes when its truth is actually put into practice--when it is not only proclaimed through words but demonstrated through action. For this very reason, Jesus sent his disciples into Samaria on their first mission trip. They didn't want to go there, but Jesus knew they needed to go. It was just as important for them as it was for the Samaritans they were about to reach. As God's people on a journey of transformation, we need mission. God designed His mission for us as part of his restorative process. God's mission will stretch every part of us and help us discover aspects of who we are only the Father can see. The more we surrender to his will the more we realize how perfect in every way is his plan for us and for our world--that it could not be done any other way. The only way change can happen in this broken world is for us to fully experience his perfect love, walk in it daily, and live it out fully wherever Christ may send us.
Heavenly Father, may your love be the love the world sees in me this day.
Jesus came to not only bring reconciliation between God and man, but also to heal broken human relationships. There is both a horizontal and vertical dimension to the gospel. The command to love God and love one's neighbor is in fact impossible without Christ. Forgiveness is supernatural. It is exclusively God's domain. For this reason, how we treat our enemies is crucial dimension to the mission God gave us. Jesus didn't exempt his disciples from reaching those they didn't like. He called them to intentionally love the unlovable. The reason is profoundly important. It is in the context of the humanly impossible that the love of Christ shines through in the most brilliant way. It is when we do the unexpected that people stand up and take notice. The greatest amplification of the gospel message comes when its truth is actually put into practice--when it is not only proclaimed through words but demonstrated through action. For this very reason, Jesus sent his disciples into Samaria on their first mission trip. They didn't want to go there, but Jesus knew they needed to go. It was just as important for them as it was for the Samaritans they were about to reach. As God's people on a journey of transformation, we need mission. God designed His mission for us as part of his restorative process. God's mission will stretch every part of us and help us discover aspects of who we are only the Father can see. The more we surrender to his will the more we realize how perfect in every way is his plan for us and for our world--that it could not be done any other way. The only way change can happen in this broken world is for us to fully experience his perfect love, walk in it daily, and live it out fully wherever Christ may send us.
Heavenly Father, may your love be the love the world sees in me this day.