LOVE WINS - Friday, October 9, 2020

 LOVE WINS - Friday, October 9, 2020

Hi blog readers!!

It is Friday - and I write about LOVE WINS!!!

Let’s reflect a little more from yesterday’s blog:

Luke 6:26-31 says “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 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. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Do you recognize that last sentence - “Do to others as you would have them do to you”?  That is called the “Golden Rule”.  Love your enemies - pray for them, turn the other cheek, give them what they want!!  

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Hold it - LOVE YOUR ENEMIES!!  No wonder Christianity is so mixed up!!  You aren’t supposed to love your enemies?  

This is impossible “Do good to those who hate you?”  What foolishness!!!

“Bless those you curse you”.   “Pray for those who mistreat you?”

This Jesus guy was a real radical.  

Although attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, seemingly he didn’t say it but another Indian philosopher, Bara Dada, who said “Jesus is ideal and wonderful, but you Christians, you are not like him.”

Why can’t we love one another? 

While (seemingly) God said, “Let us make man in our image”; that we (humans) keep trying to make God in our image!!  

While do we have oodles of different Christian denominations - and even subgroups within those groups.  Is it that we can’t really LOVE ONE-ANOTHER?  Is the enemy happy that we can’t get along?  (I would think so).

John 17:21 says “I pray that they will all be one”

But, (shutter), that might mean worshiping with liberals, conservatives, Blacks, Whites, Asians, Africans, - and (double shutter) with sinners and tax collectors - and (triplet shutter) with straight, gay, lesbian, transgender, mentally deficient, wise, handicapped and other minorities. 

No wonder the Indian philosopher said, “Jesus is ideal and wonderful, but you Christians, you are not like him.”

Back to the original scripture:

Luke 6:26-31 says “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 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. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

And, again, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  

That is impossible (for man, anyway), but all things are possible with God.  LOVE WINS relies on the basic concept that God (however you view God / the Force / whatever) is infinite and we are not infinite!!  Our ways are not God’s ways!!  

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So, this week’s assignment, work on loving your enemies; work on doing good to those who hate you; work on blessing those that curse you; pray for those who mistreat you - pray for all people.

LOVE WINS!!!  Can you make that happen?

Not in our own lives - we need supernatural help (again, however, you see God).

HUGS!!

Dr. Karen