The love of God is not always to our liking. We have our ideas of good and evil, and who is acceptable and unacceptable. We use our mind/reasoning, our experiences, and the traditions our society has taught us to determine who is worthy of grace or condemnation. To be fair, our mind organizes experiences and teachings to help us wade through the murky waters of human behavior in hopes to protect ourselves, family, and friends.

Then Jesus comes along with words of love and forgiveness that can at times seem absurd. The words of God in Christ appear to go against our reasonable thoughts and emotions. We may find our self complaining that we are only human, how can God expect anything else from us? Apparently, more than we are often willing to give. The Gospels challenge us in the words and actions of Jesus. It is not an out of touch wisdom in which God has no actual expectations of the people called Christian.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches about the love of our enemies, forgiveness, and judging others (Luke 6:27-39). It is a love that can give without receiving, a love that reminds us that our judgement against others testifies against ourselves, that in condemnation we are condemned. Our words matter to us, to others, and most importantly, to God.

This is not an excuse for using poor judgment or reasoning. We are not to condone violence, approve the abuse of power, or neglect to care for one another. We can come up with a long list of actions that violate the commandments to love God and love neighbor as yourself. 

The teachings of Jesus point out that our everyday words and actions matter. The way we live with one another is an outward expression of our heart. The life we live defines us as followers of Christ, or not. “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit…for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:43-45).

Fortunately, there is grace, in which the love of God empowers us and moves us to becoming the creation God intends. There is a real, life-changing power within the love of God. One that enables us to rise above ourselves and become the person God created us to be. 

The amazing grace of God desires to work with us, teach us, and create within us a follower of Jesus’ way of living and loving. 

May the Grace and Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

Pastor Rick