Luke 6:27-29
“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.
Luke 6:35
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.
I want to continue to look at Micah 6:8 and the second action verb that God asks us to put into practice. He tells us to “Love Mercy”. It may sound easy enough, but I find myself needing to do reality checks so I am actually loving mercy and not compromising on this action, because it is truly an incredible blessing to love mercy.
I mentioned that I was studying a devotional from Bernise A. King who is the first daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. She was 5 when her dad was assassinated. She definitely works on this idea of loving mercy. She could be living her life full of bitterness and anger, but she is choosing to honor the Lord and her parents by not only loving those who are not always so lovable, but devoting her life to helping others to understand this concept.
When you are hurt by someone…do you choose to react by turning the other cheek or do you do something that is also negative. When you are faced with an unfair situation…do you put into practice these words from Luke? I know as I hit adulthood I felt that every wrong dealt out to either me or someone else needed to be returned with an equal blow. I especially championed the social justice movement of standing up for the “little guy” by trying to stamp out the perceived “big guy”. After I became a believer in Christ, I realized the error of my ways. Hate fuels hate, but love brings about change and growth.
I want to point out that many people still think I am crazy for reaching out in love when I have been wronged. They think the fight has gone out of me. I know the truth that instead Christ is in me and He will be the one to bring about social change.
It is my prayer that you actively find ways to put the action verb of loving mercy into tangible expressions of love. You will be igniting a tremendous fire for Jesus! Show love to all even those who seem to least deserve it…because ultimately God wants all to know of his power and love.
#Loving-Mercy, #Luke6:27-29, #cultivating-a-heart-of-mercy