Kingdom standards are high standards; love the unloving, unlovely and "the unlovable"!
Rev Enoch Thompson | FEBRUARY 8, 2023 | MATTHEW 5:43-48
KEY VERSE:
⁴³"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, . . . Matt 5:43-45 (NIV)
MESSAGE:
The expression of human love is often based on positive feelings that we have towards the people shown our love, because they treat us right, make us feel good or generally show affection and have physical attraction. It is humanly possible and easy to love the cheerful person who makes others happy. The natural response to those who make life difficult for us and show themselves by all indications to be against our well-being, welfare and progress is to hate them.
The Lord Jesus Christ once again shocks us by instructing us that His disciples, Kingdom citizens, must, rather than live by the law of retaliation or the law of natural attraction, live by the law of love. The law of love demands “. . . Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” Matt 5:44 (NIV).
God, the King of the new Kingdom we are born again into, is a God of love and mercy, a gracious Father who gives us the favour we never deserve. The Lord Jesus makes it clear why we should live in this extraordinary way; "⁴⁴Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matt 5:44-45) NIV. Our new status as born-again children of God must show in our imitation of the character of our heavenly Father, gracious love.
We must not live the natural life; we must begin to live the supra-natural life. If God calls us to perfect godliness, we can attain it by His Spirit working in us to enable us. He who called light out of darkness can generate love out of our dark hard hearts. What a word, what a high calling, to be like God who Himself is love (1 John 4:7-8).
FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE:
Admit that there are people that make living out the Christian life of love difficult for you. Ask God to enable you to activate the power of love, the God-kind of love, love that defies human logic, and makes us like God in His perfect love. Determine to love the unloving, the unlovely and seemingly unlovable.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, I’m at a loss to receive and to do according to the high calling and demands of the law of love. But I am counting on you by your Holy Spirit to enable me to desire and to be like you, so I may love truly and love like you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.
SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!
