What Endures
32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:32-36)
While Jesus spoke gently, with kindness and compassion, his words continue to challenge. Our culture teaches us to "look out for number one" and, beyond that, to take care of "our own". But we are called to chip away at the walls we've built, the safe-guards we've put in place to keep us from getting hurt, or feeling used. It can be difficult enough to let down our guard with those we don't know well, but to seek to do so with those we consider to be enemies can feel impossible - until we understand our status as enemies of God. We are frequently untrustworthy and untrusting, deceivers and cheaters, yet God gives us boundless grace and mercy.
As we are just past the middle of February, we are either hitting our stride or loosing steam on our self-improvement goals for the year. Taking care of our bodies, finances, and homes are worthy and important, and should not be ignored. Neither should they be our life's focus. Rather than the shape of our figure, our the fitness of our finances, Jesus calls us to transformed character, so that the shape of our souls will be fit for abundant life in Christ on earth and eternal life with God. May we, with God's help, focus our
greatest energies on that which endures.
35 But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" 36 Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. 50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
(1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-44, 50)
