Luke 6:27-30
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
In today’s passage, Jesus begins to unpack the heart of the Beatitudes. Recall the four “blessed are you…” statements of Jesus and their opposites in Luke 6:20-26 and then read Luke 6:27-30 with those in mind.
Jesus’ words in this passage are not for sissies. It takes courage and strength to even consider the idea of purposefully loving someone who has evil intentions toward you, and in our own fallen humanness, it’s simply not possible to feel warmth feelings for our enemies. But Jesus isn’t talking about love as an emotion. The love Jesus calls us to is love in action.
Take a moment to consider how Jesus says you can love your enemies: “Do good…”, “Bless…”, Pray for…”
If we attempt to do these things in our own power and through the lens of our own understanding, we can land in some precarious places. But if we make a willful decision to pray for, bless, and do good to our enemies with Jesus guiding us, we will find ourselves experiencing the Kingdom of God.
Go to silence and notice what you are feeling right now. Try to name your primary emotion and starting from that place, talk honestly and openly with Jesus.
Read Luke 6:27-30 again.
The person who is able to live out Jesus’ instructions in this passage is a person who has found satisfaction and pure joy in Jesus. This is someone who has recognized their desperation for God and hungered for the presence of Jesus. This person has openly grieved the pain and suffering of being wrenched from God’s presence by his or her own rebellion and has been restored to intimacy with God through faith in Jesus. This is a lifelong process that unfolds one day at a time as we find our hope, our purpose, and our identity in Jesus.
Contemplate Jesus’ simple but profound test for determining how to treat everyone – even your enemies:
“Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”
Now let all your thoughts settle as you become still and centered on Jesus.
Is there anything in particular that Jesus is asking you to do today?
How will you respond to that?
Subscribe here to receive these guided meditations free by email Monday-Friday each week. If you find these meditations helpful, please forward them to a couple of friends.
The Everyday Jesus Follower’s Guide ebook can help you learn how to recognize God's voice, how to read and understand the Bible, how to develop deep spiritual friendships, and how to become the person you were meant to be. Use it alone, with a friend or in a small group.
