Last Sunday at The Way we studied what it means to love. The world has a fascination with the word “love.” We love God and family, football and rock bands, pizza and popcorn. The word becomes diluted from its strength when we apply it to things we merely “like,” because love is not about what we feel, it is about what we do. Love is an action word.
Christian love takes it one giant leap forward in that it involves sacrifice. It involves loving people we may not even like. Jesus reminded us that we are to even love our enemies. [Luke 6:28]
A couple of the Scriptures I studied for the “love” message were in 1 Corinthians. In Chapter 11 Paul told his readers to “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.” [v1 HCSB]
Paul had already told them what that imitation looks like in Chapter 4. “When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the world’s garbage, like the dirt everyone scrapes off their sandals.” [v12-13 HCSB]
While we casually read Paul’s actions about how he dealt with his enemies, I do not imagine that was a casual response for Paul. I imagine it took every bit of courage, determination, and grit to respond to enemies the way he thought Christ would, rather than the way he probably wanted to respond. It is far easier to respond in kind to harsh, unfair, slanderous treatment than to respond as Christ would, but Paul was determined to imitate Christ.
I am sure at the forefront of Paul’s mind was Christ Jesus’ response to His enemies at the cross. Jesus gave His life for the very people who were demanding and performing His execution, then He asked His father to forgive them.
We must remember that when Jesus was dying on that cross, not only was Paul his enemy, but we were also. Still, Jesus’ love reached out to us. Now it is our turn to reach out to our enemies as He would.
