lenten 40: day 34 - love/hate

image 34.

scriptures.
⁴³"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
~Matthew 5:42

²⁴"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
~Matthew 6:23

²⁷"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
~Luke 6:27

²⁵The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
~John 12:25

⁹Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
~Romans 12:9

thoughts.
there is such a fine line between love and hate, it seems. i hear a lot of Christians preach love - but then act completely different. but honestly, i find myself looking, too much, at how other Christians are misusing scripture or how they may or may not be living out their faith in the way of Jesus.

i am learning that i need to let go. i am learning that i need to concentrate on my own actions of love - striving to not neglect or mistreat anyone. to do good. to do no harm. and to stay in love with God.

it is so easy for us to get caught up pointing fingers at others. when we do that, we lose the high calling of love that Jesus shows us.

love is a high calling. are you answering that call? love knows no boundaries... we shouldn't keep it bound up. love is not conditional. we shouldn't inadvertently put conditions on it. love is for all. even the people the church (often) deems unlovable: like terrorists and homosexuals and sex offenders and murderers.

love is for all.

and yet it is often the people closest to us that we neglect. how foolish we can be. i want to strive to love like Jesus: to love my wife, kids, community and enemies. imagine - if everyone in the world could be overtaken by the power of love... imagine that kind of revolution.






love wins.