Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Let’s continue hearing from the LORD about His followers’ discord. Today let’s remember Jesus said God’s true children love their enemies.

Jesus said in today’s scripture, Matthew 5:44-45 (NLT)…
[44] But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! [45] In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

Consider…
Yesterday we mentioned one of the defining characteristics of a child of God is loving unconditionally. Today we’ll expound on that understanding.

Knowing that Jesus is our example of being God’s child, let’s think about one of our Heavenly Father’s expectations of Him. Jesus said in Mark 10:45 (NLT)…
[45] For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Notice Jesus knew His purpose here on earth was to serve and die for sinners. I’m not sure that we fully appreciate the significance of that truth.

Hopefully Romans 5:6-10 (NLT) provides additional insight. It says…
[6] When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. [7] Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. [8] But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. [9] And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. [10] For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.

This passage says the Son of God…

• Died for the helpless
• Died for sinners
• Shed His blood to make the wrong right with God
• Died to restore God’s enemies to friendship

…let that marinate 🤔

This is the same Son that told us in Today’s scripture that true children of God love their enemies. That’s the standard of love God expects from us.

In fact Jesus said in John 13:34 (NLT)…
[34] So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

Jesus raised the bar for our love to mirror His.

1 John 3:16 (NLT) reiterates…
[16] We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

The Holy Spirit gave me new insight on this verse, based on the Romans 5 passage shared above. Christ loved and gave himself for us to become His siblings. Therefore when we read the expectation that we should give up our lives for our brothers and sisters, I believe that is saying that we should see everyone as potential siblings and treat them accordingly.

I believe this because John 3:16 (NLT) says…
[16] “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

That means God loved everyone and gave His Son so that anyone could be saved.

The Holy Spirit is showing me that God’s love is not only unconditional, it’s reconciliatory in nature. That’s what 1 John 4:9-10 (NLT) highlights…
[9] God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. [10] This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

I don’t know if we correlate God giving His Son with Him also giving us, His children, to the world to help reconcile others to Him.

Perhaps I can make the connection better by focusing on the light.

In John 9:5 (NLT) Jesus said…
[5] But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Yet in Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT) Jesus tells us…
[14] “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. [15] No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

These scriptures make me see Jesus as the main light, and we are His light extensions.

That makes me think of Ephesians 5:8-9 (NLT), which exhorts…
[8] For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! [9] For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

Do you see the connection?

Perhaps 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 (NLT) will help…
[6] For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. [7] We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

Do you see the connection now? Our light and love come from God. That means God doesn’t expect us to love others in our own strength, but He does expect us to let the love fruit that the Holy Spirit produces (Galatians 5:22) in us be given to everyone.

So today, rather than loathing others who don’t believe like us, God says love them like siblings and friends in waiting.

God says rather than giving others what we want, allow ourselves to be given to help others choose Him. In that way, we will be like Jesus, God’s Love Child!

Today’s song is…
Jesus Is Love

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)