Our scripture this morning is Luke 6:35-36.
But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
In this passage Jesus asks us to follow His example with some specific instructions. It isn’t easy to love our enemies but He tells us it is necessary if we want to be called God’s children. Doing good without expecting anything in return is what is required of those who follow Him.
Jesus tells us that God “is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” Sadly, if we are honest, we see ourselves in that definition. We have all failed to love God and one another at some point in our lives. However, because our Father is merciful, we can go to Him in repentance and be forgiven for our mistakes.
After we have been forgiven, the next step is to forgive others, not because they deserve it but because they too are children of God. We are to “be merciful just as your Father is merciful.” What we have received, we are to share with the world.
Gracious God, we are sorry for the times we have fallen short of Your plan for us. Forgive us and bless us to go in Your name, telling the world of Your love. Amen.
