Love In Spite Of

Luke 6:27-28 "But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you".

What would happen if, as Christians, we started actually living out what Jesus taught us? Jesus teachings on love attacks several traditions and misinterpretations of  what we believe love to be. While we have learned to love thy neighbor, we sometime seem to exclude our enemies. But Jesus  instructs us to love and do good to our enemies. we are to love not based on who they are, but because of whose we claim to be.Now this love does not result from a weakness or failure to stand up for truth or justice, it is a purposeful love that flows from a strong heart that seeks eternal salvation for others. This sacrificial love demonstrates that our purpose for living is larger than ourselves.

Jesus commands us to pray for and bless those that offend us. Our natural response is to strike back when mistreated, but Jesus teaches us to do the opposite. Jesus gave two illustrations to show the extent of how far our love for others should go, there is a blow to the face and stolen clothes, in such cases we are not retaliate. The purpose is to reach out in love instead of satisfying ourselves through revenge. Our love must be strong and purposeful in accepting mistreatment, as it shows our trust in the Lord and his ability to use the situation for his Glory. Jesus not only taught how we are to love, but how we must also be merciful to others in our daily lives, as the Father is merciful to us.

The standard of sacrificial love goes beyond what others might do or what we might want to do, but it is what Jesus teaches us to do, and what he did. The prime example of selfless giving is our heavenly Father himself, who showed kindness to all humanity regardless of how they treated him, as he gave his only begotten son that we might have everlasting life. When we have love one to another as Jesus hgad to us, then we will lead a lost world to the salvation of the Lord.