This week’s Core Values:
Love God – Love Others
Serving People Is Serving God
Read Matthew 5:43-44.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
This passage of Scripture invites us to a paradigm shift. A paradigm is a framework through which we see the world and live in it. Paradigm shifts demand changes in that framework, and this passage of Scripture has to be one of the most significant paradigm shifts in Scripture. Do you love your enemies? Do you truly, honestly, love them? I can’t say that I do, and this passage convicts me of that. Our core value is not “serving the people you like is serving God” nor is it “Move towards the people you like.” No, “people” includes ALL people – friends and enemies. These are counterintuitive commands, but commands nonetheless.
What might it look like for you to serve and love your enemies today?
Prayer: Lord, it is against my nature to love those who have hurt me, but I know that in you it is possible. Give me the humility to extend forgiveness, and the boldness to pray for those who are hard for me to be around. Forgive me of my partiality, Lord, and remind me that your love knows no bounds.
