Love

Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a sermon in 1957 commenting on what Jesus said in Matthew 5,

'But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.'... Far from being the pious injunction of a utopian dreamer, this command is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization. Yes, it is love that will save our world and our civilization, love even for enemies. Now let me hasten to say that Jesus was very serious when he gave this command; he wasn’t playing.

What MLK Jr. is hitting on is the thought that Jesus was giving an un-attainable command. The thought that "love for your enemies is a nice thought, and something to strive for, but not anything that's really practical or we can achieve." On the contrary, as MLK Jr. points out, Jesus wasn't playing. Jesus charges us to live lives that aren't conformed to the world. Instead of getting back at people who hurt you, love them. Instead of only treating your friends as worthy of love, love your enemies as well. The amazing thing about this way of life is that we can trust its how life was designed to be lived. Loving our neighbors and our enemies is where life abundant is found. Another beautiful thing about this way of life is that in Christ, its not our own strength and "try-hard" attitude that will make it happen. Instead, God's Holy Spirit works through us to empower us to love. Am I willing to let God do that through me? Would you be willing to let God do that through you?