Gracious Undeserved Love

 

 

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

— Luke 6:35

 

Do not just love—phileo—but love with the agape love by which God loves you. This is a present tense command. Do it now, not later. Love them because I, the Messiah, love you, even though you were My enemies. Love the people who intentionally set out to cause you harm. 

 

Do more than that. Let your agape love—the love with which I (Jesus) love you and have put in you—cause you to do good to your enemies. Don’t stop at the idea of good the world has. Do the good that comes from God’s character—absolute good that seeks what is the best for that person—even though the person is intent on harming you. 

 

To the extent of giving to the enemy what he asks from you, do that good. Go further; make your intent not to expect the loan of what they borrowed to be returned. Lend with this intention and don’t despair when it’s not returned. Lend with God’s mindset of loving by doing what’s best. Jesus did not come to earth so we could borrow salvation from Him. He came so that we might have salvation. Jesus gives salvation to us with no conditions other than we believe in Him as the Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. Our gift from Him is unconditional. We don’t have to return it. We can’t die a crucifixion to give life back to Jesus. We can’t make anything live by our death. We can’t make Jesus alive because He did that for Himself three days after His death. Additionally, we can’t make anything come back to life because we are mortal and powerless over death and the grave. So, lend with the goodness that comes from God and with His love not intending to get back that which you give. 

 

Do we need a reward or any kind of notice for loving and doing good? On this earth, our fame, if we get any, will fade with our deaths. Our reward in heaven will be based on our intent. The reward we should seek is from God in heaven. He looks at our hearts and rewards us for the love, love, and good we’ve given. Our greatest reward, as people who believe in Jesus, is to be children of God and heirs of heaven with Jesus. This inheritance cost us nothing. That is our ultimate reward and hope. 

 

Remember, we once were ungrateful enemies of God, yet He still loved us, did good for us, and gave to us sacrificially. So, take what you’ve been given by God and use it to love your enemies, do good to them, and give them what they need. All these—love, goodness, and gifts—come from God. He expects and hopes you will channel what He is giving you even to the people who intend to harm you. 

 

God was kind to the ungrateful and wicked. He is gracious and benevolent to them when they don’t deserve it, even to giving salvation and eternal life with Him in heaven. So, you be kind and show God’s gracious love to your enemies so they may one day believe in Jesus and receive God’s grace, too. 

 

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

 

But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone takes your cloak, do not withhold your tunic as well. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what is yours, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:27-31)

Small Gift, Big Effect

 

“One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ‘There was a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?’” John 6:8-9 [AMP] 

Jesus, before John 6, had been in Jerusalem. He healed a lame man on the Sabbath, and the Jewish leaders harassed Him about it. Jesus taught them about His authority to heal and do it on a Sabbath. He told them He is the Son of God.

After the Sabbath, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee. “A huge crowd of people” followed looking for Him (John 6:5). John said in John 6 that the crowds followed Jesus because they saw His miraculous signs. The people observed the big miracles Jesus did, and their curiosity continued about Him and His miracles.

            Notice, the crowds expected big miracles like healing people or raising people from the dead. Many of the ones who followed Jesus turned away from following Him when the Chief Priests’ solders arrested Him before His crucifixion (John 6:66). These people reacted as we often do. We sometimes turn our backs on Jesus when things do not work out the way we want.

How are we often like these early followers of Jesus? They followed Jesus and listened to God’s plan as long as they saw the big things He would do. Jesus amazed these people as they watched Him do the unexplainable. As we read John 6:8-9, we realize Andrew did not discard something small as being unworthy for use by Jesus. Philip realized the enormous task and saw nothing big by which to feed 5000 hungry men. Andrew understood God can use small and large. He recognized God gives small and large blessings and could use them for His purposes, though he did not understand how.

            Consider this in your life. Do you not recognize God even gave you the small things in your life? Do you consider He gave the small things just for you and not for use for something bigger than you? Philip did not recognize God gave the five loaves and two small fish to feed the 5000+ men. Andrew saw, considered, and wondered if Jesus could use them to feed the people. He led the young boy to Jesus and announced he found food but wondered “what good it would be with the huge crowd?” Andrew offered the young boy’s lunch as an answer in how they might feed the people. When he did that, the young boy inwardly conceded his right to keep the food for himself. Jesus showed God’s care for the people and His power over each aspect of life including sustenance, multiplication, sufficiency, and longevity.

            Today, ask God, “What have I not returned to You for Your purposes?” All God gives you is a blessing from Him. Sometimes the blessing is for you to keep and use for yourself. At other times, God’s blessing for you comes as you use the gifts as God guides to help, teach, guide, and/or forgive someone else. Not all gifts are tangible. Nor are they always expensive. Yet, each gift comes from God. Our perception often hides the intangible and inexpensive from our definition as gifts.

God gave one particular gift for each person. Its cost was great. That gift is salvation from sins and death. Christians do not die for the salvation of other people. Jesus did that with His perfect sacrifice. We should willingly die to self and our desires so other people will hear about Jesus, trust in Him, and receive salvation through Him by faith.

What do you now realize God gave you that you need to give back for His purposes?

God, I am a sinner. I’ve sinned against You and people by storing things up for myself because I considered I earned them or because I was totally selfish about what You gave me. Lord, please forgive me for not recognizing You gave me all I have, even salvation. Lord, take this heart of mine and mold it to desire what You desire. Make me desire You more than anything or anyone. Lord, nudge me from my plans to see the people You put around me whom You love. Show me how You want to use me to help them. Help me always to say, “Yes!” to You. Today, Lord, I give all I am and have, no matter how small I consider it, back to You. Thank you for never giving up on me and being patient with me. Amen.

Miracle of Faith (John 4)

In studying the Bible, I am aware that true miracles, things unexplained by human reason, can only occur when Jesus does them. Consider first the Pharaoh’s wizards and advisors. When Moses came before Pharaoh with the ability to turn a rod into a snake, Pharaoh countered by having his advisors do the same. Pharaoh did not attribute the “miracle” to Yahweh. When Moses, at the prompting of God, had locusts enter Egypt and eat the harvest, Pharaoh was perplexed because he could not explain the influx of locusts, but it did not trouble him. When Moses said God would kill the first-born of every household that did not smear the blood of an untainted lamb on the doorposts (believers of Yahweh did this), Pharaoh scoffed, but did not do it. Pharaoh believed the next morning because he saw the might of Yahweh. Until physical miracles affect the spiritual side of a person, they are not true miracles. In other words, a physical miracle must instill the awe of God in the person so the person believes God actually did the action and worships Him. 

Let us consider a few miracles Christ performed while He was doing His ministry on earth. First, look at the story of Peter’s mother-in-law in Mark 1:29-31. When Jesus, John, James, Andrew, and Peter arrived at Peter’s house, Peter told Jesus his mother-in-law was sick. Usually women prepared the meal or other food and drink for guests. Peter explained his mother-in-law was unable to serve them. Peter’s wife would serve. It does not appear Peter asked Jesus to do help his mother-in-law, but Jesus showed the disciples He has power to heal the sick. He just showed He could remove demons from a person (a spiritual need). Now Jesus showed He could physically heal a person. He offered no fancy words for Peter’s mother-in-law to hear to help her trust Him. Jesus took her hand and helped her arise from the bed. The mother-in-law had to believe Jesus for her body to be able to stand. No words passed between them, but their spirits connected. She trusted in who Jesus is. 

Consider, too, the man with leprosy in Mark 1. This man came to Jesus. He accepted Jesus was able to heal people. The leper just had to be in Jesus’ presence to ask for healing. He asked for Jesus’ blessing of healing by saying, “If you are willing, you can make me clean” (Mark 1:40). Jesus willingly healed the leper’s body and thereby made him ritually clean. Having leprosy in those times made a person unclean in the religious sense. The Mosaic laws disallowed him to go to the synagogue. Being unclean meant lepers lived outside the city/town as an outcast away from other people. Yet, this leper had such faith in Jesus he presented himself, though unclean, before Jesus and asked for healing. This was the prelude to Jesus’ ministry on earth. Jesus came to make sinners clean so they can be in God’s presence for eternity. He healed this man’s body and cleansed him spiritually.  

Consider now a nobleman’s child. In John 4:46-54, a royal official walked from Capernaum to Cana (about 27 miles) to meet with Jesus. He asked Him to go to his house.  The nobleman believed that if Jesus came to his house, He could heal his child. Theologians and historians consider this nobleman was a courtier of the king. Others understand he was the king of a small location, like a tetrarch. Still others figure this nobleman was a centurion under Herod Antipas. Whatever he was, he was a Roman royal subject. It says a lot that a Roman would hear of and trust Jesus, a Jew, could heal his child. This Roman believed good could come from the Jews and Jesus could heal his child. His faith, though, was not complete. The Roman asked Jesus to go to his home and heal his child. Jesus confronted the Roman’s unbelief when he said in verse 48, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” He challenged the Roman’s faith and required him to believe. The Roman still did not trust and requested Jesus to come with him in verse 49. In verse 50, though, Jesus commanded him, a Jew commanding a Roman, to “Go; your son lives.” At that point, the Roman believed and returned to his home. Before he arrived home, his servants met him on the road and told him his son no longer had a fever. The fever broke when Jesus proclaimed the Roman’s son healed. Jesus rewarded the Roman’s belief. The physical miracle met with spiritual belief and a true miracle occurred. A new believer was born. 

Jesus healed many people during His ministry. He touched many people and many people touched Him. Some people Jesus did not touch, but commanded. His ability to command obedience among the Jews as well as among the leaders of the country is astounding considering He was a carpenter’s son. This showed God’s Spirit spoke to the person’s spirit affirming who He is. Cleansing, healing, and becoming children of God could not occur without the person’s belief. For a true miracle to occur, a spiritual belief along with a physical blessing must occur. When only physical occurrences happen, it cannot necessarily be said the miracle came from God. When we automatically give glory to God for a physical blessing, then we acknowledge a true miracle. This sounds simple, but if it was simple, why were the Hebrews, particularly the Jewish leaders (Pharisees and Sadducees), unable to believe in Him? Part of the reason is like the reasons people state today; they do not want to give control of their lives over to someone else, especially to some personage "out there”. People want to “see to believe,” about which Jesus challenged the Capernaum Roman nobleman. Jesus challenged Saint Thomas on this point, too. Thomas did not believe until he saw the nail prints in Jesus’ hands and feet. Jesus, at that point, told the disciples, blessed is he who believes without seeing.   

Miracles occur nowadays. We observe them every day when healing occurs to cancer patients. When these occurrences affect our spiritual life, then they are true miracles. Jesus’ miracles affect both the physical and the spiritual aspects of life. God blesses us when we believe without seeing. He blesses us with faith if we will ask Him for this gift. Believing is not hard to do. We must be willing to accept God is real and He has an eternal gift for us – faith - that leads to belief in Jesus Christ. The question we must each ask ourselves is will we believe God is. On this hinges not the stuff of our lives and our eternity.