Luke 6:27-38 — Grace.

READ THIS: Luke 6:27-38

27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 

32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount here! He just finished handing out blessings and warnings, and He switches to handing out instructions. Every instruction He gives is completely radical. It can all be summed up in this phrase: Give people what they don't deserve. Our job is to shower the people who are mean with kindness and gifts and love. 

It's fairly easy to give someone something that you think they deserve. It is way harder to give someone something you think they haven't earned. The kid who just stole your favorite pen doesn't deserve another pen you have. But, Jesus says to freely give it. The adult who just called you a bunch of condescending things doesn't deserve to be complimented. But, Jesus says to let them know that they're awesome. 

Giving people what they don't deserve is exactly what Jesus did for us. We don't deserve forgiveness or life forever. But, Jesus gives it to us anyway. If we believe that truth, that should change how we treat other people, and if we don't believe it, then our actions won't change. We will keep giving people only what we think they deserve...including bad names, stolen items, and so on. And, if we treat people that way, then God will also treat us the way that we deserve...and we don't necessarily deserve good things. That's what verse 38 is trying to say!

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. If God treated you exactly how you deserved, how would that go for you? 

2. Who is someone that you know that you sometimes think deserves to be treated unkindly?

TRY THIS:

Do something kind for the person you named in question 2!

Comments

  1. Daniel SergeDecember 1, 2023 at 5:10 AM

    1. If God treated you exactly how you deserved, how would that go for you?
    I would not have the things I have, I would not be loved by him because sometimes I’m not showing that I do love him.
    2. Who is someone that you know that you sometimes think deserves to be treated unkindly? My cousins when they are annoying me and bothering me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousDecember 1, 2023 at 6:12 AM

    If God treated me how I deserve to be treated, I would be dead and in hell. But because of His forgiveness and love I’m still here, trying to love like He loves me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousDecember 2, 2023 at 8:49 AM

      I often forget about the flip side of Heaven being hell. One of the biggest things about hell is that we’re separated from God. We can slowly start to choose that way of living day by day as we forget Gods love for us. Thank you for the reminder!

      Delete

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