Making Difficult Decisions
In our Simple Truths Bible study we have been talking about not only praying for our enemies but also loving them. Jesus is speaking in Luke 6:27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 “bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 “To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 “Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. 32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.”
What Jesus taught in these verses is truly world changing, but only if we are willing to put it into practice. These are very difficult lessons to put into practice. He begins this teaching by allowing the hearer to make the choice of whether or not they are willing to listen. The New Living translation says, “But if you are willing to listen”, the effectiveness of these truths in our lives and the lives of those that we deal with that are difficult depends on us. That one small word if.
Like so many things in life we must each make the difficult decision to obey what Jesus taught. We all have people in our lives that can be hard to deal with and seem to have the ability to make us miserable if we allow it. If we will look at these people and situations from a different perspective we may be able to see an opportunity for God to work in us as well as these people that are challenging. Jesus did not respond to people in ordinary ways, and this teaching in Luke is not an ordinary way for us as people to respond either.
Ordinary behavior would be for us to retaliate against those that curse us, strike us on the cheek and steal from us. However, Jesus instructs us to react in a different manner. If we behave in ways that come natural or ordinary for us, Jesus says we are acting just like sinners. We have been given a new nature, a new way to go about life when we received Jesus as our Savior. Colossians 3:12 “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
In Bible study we were encouraged that when we deal with difficult people to remember what we were like before we received Jesus and the things that we did that offended the Lord and how His great mercy saved us. When we remember how much we have been forgiven and the dark, broken place that we came from, it can put into perspective how we should be treating people in our life. It might not make the situation any easier but it certainly can help our attitude.
These verses can encourage you as you encounter hard situations this week. Romans 12:18 “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.” and Psalm 19:14 “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”
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