This morning I am reading some challenging verses from Luke's Gospel. These are the kind of verses that I generally skip over, or just gloss over believing they don't really apply to me.
Luke 6:35-38 NIV
[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.”
That first line is really almost unbelievable, until you add the second sentence. I mean who love their enemies, does good to them and lends them money without any concern for getting it back. I seems we barely would do all that for our neighbors, and sometimes not even family members. Yet this is the teaching of Jesus and the life He lived. He was demonstrating the Father's heart, as He says in the next passage, and if we want to be His representatives, then we need to learn to do the same. Paul writes how when we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us (Col 2:13-14). We are called to be kind to the ungrateful and the wicked, merciful to all.
The second set of verses is equally challenging, but in a different way. We are called to be the initiators of forgiveness, mercy and acceptance. As we live those in our lives, we will experience the same from God, but with greater measure. The challenge here is to believe God and trust that His word is true and that He will do what He says He will do. We don't need to judge anyone, because He is the judge. He sees all and knows all and will judge correctly. He doesn't need our help or insight, although we often feel its necessary. He will extend condemnation to those that deserve it, we do not need to.
Finally, He will forgive us if we forgive others. I find my struggle is that I want God to go first. It is much easier to forgive someone if they have already extended forgiveness to you, just ask most any married couple. Believing that God will forgive us if we forgive others can help set us free from holding onto past wounds and hurts. If we don't forgive those that have wounded us, then we will experience a similar response from the Lord.
I believe the last line (38b) applies to all the statements made in verse 37. The measure we use will be the measure used for us, by the Lord. If we live a life of judgment and condemnation, we will receive as much. If we extend forgiveness we will receive forgiveness. Paul writes something similar in his letter to the Galatians 6:7b "A man reaps what he sows.". In other words, this is a spiritual truth, as much as a natural truth. What we sow with our lives is what we will reap; judgment will reap judgment; condemnation will reap condemnation; forgiveness will reap forgiveness; mercy will reap mercy!
The encouragement to me in all this is that I can influence what I experience in life by the way I think and act. If I extend mercy and compassion, give freely and forgive quickly, I will experience the same from the Lord. We don't need to keep score for the Lord will, and He will provide the increase and abundance that will overflow into our lives. So, let us treat others as we would want the Lord to treat us. Let us extend love, mercy, compassion, kindness and forgiveness to all, even our enemies, for that is what the Father does, and will do to us.
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