MONITE SEPITEMA 30, 2024

ONE MIND, ONE PURPOSE, ONE SPIRIT

LOTO TAHA, KAVEINGA TAHA, LAUMALIE TAHA

PHILIPPIANS 2:2-3

"Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." 

FILIPAI 2:2-3

2 ‘ē, mou fakakakato ‘eku fiefia, ‘i ho‘omou loto taha: ke taha ho‘omou ofa, pea mou uouangataha, pea hu‘ufataha ho‘omou feinga: 3 ‘o ‘oua ‘e feinga ki ha me‘a ko e fakafekāke‘i, pe ko e fie ongoongoa; ka ‘i ho‘omou loto ta‘ehiki mou takitaha lau ‘oku lelei hake ‘a hono kāinga ‘iate ia:

While it is of course beneficial for church members to take initiative in ministry, a healthy body of believers will not be driven by individual ideas and agendas. Our minds must first be united in the gospel if the church is truly going to be under Christ's headship. Without that unity, we will instead be driven by our own selfish and competing desires and agendas.

The Bible has so much to say about our minds because as we think, so we are. When we train our minds to think correctly, we will then learn to love properly and serve together in one spirit and purpose. Part of our mental battle is rooted in our old, selfish, human nature. One of our greatest stumbling blocks is not so much hate as self-love: we are inclined toward an attitude of conceit, which runs completely counter to the character of our Lord, and our lack of humility becomes an obstacle that prevents us from experiencing harmony with those around us. Even our good deeds often have tainted motives.

If we are to be unified in Christ, we cannot insist on our own way. Instead, we need to “count others more significant than ourselves." This means that we remind ourselves of the best in others before thinking of ourselves, that we are quicker to ask what would be best for others than what would be most convenient for ourselves, and that we are willing to enter into the lives and struggles of others rather than standing aloof. Genuine humility doesn't take the front seat or begin with "me" all the time. It is instead "the nothingness that makes room for God to prove his power." It is a trait, Paul tells us, that Jesus Himself exhibited: "Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself" (Romans 15:2-3).

When we think of ourselves first, it is difficult - impossible, in fact - to put God's word into action. But when we learn to put others first, we will be far more ready to care for their concerns before our own. In so doing, we can truly be unified within the body of Christ. You likely know people who exhibit this kind of godly humility. Praise God for will see how you can follow their example-and, supremely, follow the example of Christ Himself. He counted what you needed as of greater significance than His own comfort - even than His own life. Paul's challenge to each of us is this: Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5, NIV).

JOHN 3:22-36

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 24-26; John 13:21-38

 SAPATE SEPITEMA 29, 2024

OUR COMPASSIONATE SHEPHERD

KO HOTAU TAUHI MANAVA‘OFA

LUKE 7:13-14

When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, 'Do not weep.’ Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’

LUKE 7:13-14

13 Pea ‘i he mamata ‘e Sīsū ki he fefine, na‘e langa hono fatu ‘i he ‘ofa ki ai, ‘o ne pehē kiate ia, ‘Oua ‘e tangi. 14 Pea ne ‘alu atu ‘o ala ki he fata; pea tu‘u pē ‘a e kau fata. Pea ne pehē, Tama, ‘oku ou tala atu, ke ke tu‘u.

The coming of the kingdom of God was not heralded by spectacular and dramatic victories over the powers and authorities of the world but through something much more transformative: the great compassion of its King.

Throughout their accounts of Jesus, the Gospel writers present us with encounter after encounter demonstrating Christ's unparalleled compassion. In these incidents, Christ's power is revealed as His compassion is extended. In chapter 7 of his Gospel, for instance, Luke highlights Jesus' compassionate response to a sorrowful widow - a response which clears any doubts about His greatness.

The woman in this part of Luke's narrative was in true need. Her husband was already gone, and now her son had just died. In an ancient Middle-Eastern society, this meant that she had no means of protection or provision. She faced a life of sadness, loneliness, and precariousness - and then the end of the family line.

But then Jesus entered into the extremity of this woman's life, and "when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, 'Do not weep."

All it took to arouse the compassion of our tender Shepherd was seeing this grieving woman. Literally, that word 'compassion" means "His bowels moved” - our equivalent would be "His stomach churned." When Jesus, through whom and for whom all things were created, sees sadness and grief in this broken world. He feels it. Here is a King who cares deeply.

Even more beautiful is that Jesus had the power to meet this widow's need, and so He chose to do something only He could do: to bring the dead back to life. He didn't just restore a deceased son alive again to a mourning mother and thereby meet her need and obliterate her grief, though. More importantly, Jesus revealed Himself to the crowd (and to us!) in all of His power, kindness, and authority - even authority over death.

Scenes such as this show us that Jesus doesn't simply comment on or cry over sickness and death, those great enemies of mankind. He overcomes them. He hears the cries of the sorrowful, and He comforts them, not only in an earthly, temporal sense but also in a final, perfect, and eternal way, by offering Himself as the means of salvation to all who believe.

Your King is not merely infinitely powerful; He is infinitely compassionate. And the combination of those two qualities in Him is sufficient to bring you through every sadness and grief of this world, until you stand in His presence and He wipes every tear from your eye.

LUKE 7:1-17

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 22-23; John 13:1-20

 TOKONAKI SEPITEMA 28, 2024

EVIDENCE OF GENUINE FAITH

FAKAMO‘ONI ‘O E TUI MO‘ONI

LUKE 6:46-48

"Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and bears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock."

LUKE 6:46-48

46 Pea ko e hā ‘oku mou lau ai kiate au, ‘ēī, ‘ēī; ka ‘oku ‘ikai te mou fai ‘a e ngaahi me‘a ‘oku ou tala? 47 ‘Ilonga ‘a ia ‘oku ha‘u kiate au, ‘o fanongo ki he‘eku ngaahi tala, ‘o fai ki ai, te u fakatātā atu hono tatau: 48 ‘oku ne tatau mo ha tangata langa fale; ‘a ia na‘a ne keli, ‘o toe foa ‘aki, ‘o ne ‘ai ‘a e tu‘unga ki he maka: pea ‘i he mahake ‘a e vaitafe, na‘a ne pā atu ki he fale ko ia; pea na‘e ‘ikai te ne mafai ke lulu ia: ko e me‘a ‘i he lelei hono langa.

Jesus wants to see our lips and our lives align. Hence he ends His Sermon on the Plain with this most searching of rhetorical questions: "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you?" He saw a contrast between what people were saying and how they were behaving, and He wanted to call them to perform a serious spiritual self-examination. He wanted them, just as He wants us, to see that a verbal profession of faith in Him must be accompanied by moral obedience to Him.

Jesus did not teach that entry into the kingdom of heaven is through the good works of obedience. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, plus nothing (see Ephesians 2:8). All that we bring to Christ is the sin from which we need to be forgiven. What, then, is He teaching? Simply this: that only those who obey Him - those who express their faith by their works have truly heard and have been transformed by the gospel. As the Reformers observed, it is faith alone that saves, but the faith that saves is not alone. The apostle John, picking up on Jesus' words, says in his first letter, "If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth" (1 John 1:6). Scripture makes it clear that the manner in which we hear and obey Jesus' words has significance for all of eternity because it reveals the true state and reality of our faith.

No accumulation of visible religious works and no number of religious words will be able to disguise our private behavior from God. The real test of those who name the name of the Lord, says Paul - and let's not evade for one instant the chilling demand of this - is that they "depart from iniquity" (2 Timothy 2:19). Therein lies the evidence of genuine faith.

While none of us will live a perfect life, we are all called to live changed lives. We live under the lordship of Christ; His Spirit is now within us. Will we have complete success? No. But we will be different, and our lives will increasingly demonstrate that we have turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" (1 Thessalonians 1-9). So consider your own life. Do you call Jesus Lord? Good! But, crucially, can you point to evidence in your life - in what you do not do and in what you do, in the temptations you fight and the virtues you strive for and the forgiveness you repentantly ask for - that He is truly your Lord?

JAMES 2:14-26

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 20-21; John 12:27-50

 FALAITE SEPITEMA 27, 2024

KNOWN BY THEIR FRUIT

MAHINO ‘A E ‘AKAU MEI HONO FUA

LUKE 6:43-44

"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit." 

LUKE 6:43-44

43 He ‘oku ‘ikai ha me‘a pehē, ke fua tamaki ‘e ha ‘akau ‘aonga, pe ke fua ‘aonga ‘e ha ‘akau tamaki. 44 Ka ‘oku mahino ‘a e ‘akau takitaha mei hono fua ‘o‘ona. He ‘oku ‘ikai tufi fiki ‘i he vao talatala, pe toli kālepi ‘i he talatala‘āmoa.

Students will always reflect the instruction of their teachers. No matter how far a student may excel beyond his or her teacher's abilities, they will always be indebted to the guidance that was given.

When Jesus spoke of trees and their fruit, it was with an eye to the spiritual leaders of His day. In making His point. He gave us a warning: namely, not to choose the wrong teacher. And how are we to discern between good and bad teachers? Jesus says it's by their fruit - the results that follow their teachings and actions.

We must think of fruit in relation to the teacher's character - and character can't be tested by measuring eloquence or giftedness. Rather, when Jesus gave instruction concerning the vine and the branches, He implied that fruitfulness equals Christlikeness (John 15:1-8). Each tree is recognized by its own fruit; therefore, the fruit of the Spirit love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) - will be evident in a good teacher's life.

We must also examine the content of the teacher's instruction. Paul addressed this issue when he wrote to his pastoral protégé Timothy, telling him to "keep a close watch on yourself that is, his character and on the teaching" (1 Timothy 4:16). Not everybody who shows up with a Bible has the listener's best interests at heart. Not everybody who names the name of Christ is a true teacher of God's word. False prophets abound. It is imperative, then, that as believers, we learn from the Bible not only to grow in holiness but also to be able to recognize sound doctrine, which is a mark of a godly teacher. Furthermore, we can take comfort from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who teaches us about everything and enables us to distinguish between truth and falsehood (see 1 John 2:27).

There is a direct correlation between the character of a teacher and the content of his teaching, and the impact he makes upon those who are taught. So choose your spiritual teachers and mentors wisely. Look not at their speaking gifts or their cultural connectedness or their confidence or their humor but at character and content. Without question, you will show the world the fruit of the teaching you receive. When people come around you, what will they discover? Will they see judgmentalism or bitterness or haughtiness or self-righteousness? Will they sense passivity and a lack of conviction? Or will they taste the sweet fruit of joy, peace, love, and righteousness?

2 TIMOTHY 2:15-26

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 18-19; John 12:1-26

 TU‘APULELULU SEPITEMA 26, 2024

THE SPECK AND THE LOG

KO E MALAMALA MO E LALANGO

LUKE 6:42

"How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.” 

LUKE 6:42

Te ke lava fēfē ke lea ki ho kāinga, Nga‘ata, tuku ke u to‘oa mai ‘a e malamala na ‘oku ‘i ho mata; ‘osi, ‘oku ‘ikai te ke tokanga‘i ‘e koe ‘a e fu‘u lalango ‘i ho mata ‘o‘ou? ‘a e ‘afungi! tomu‘a to‘o mai ‘a e lalango mei ho‘ou mata, pea te ke toki sio totonu ke to‘o ‘a e malamala mei he mata ‘o ho kāinga.

I recall a time when, sitting at a desk in an exam, I turned the paper over and immediately began to look around to see if everybody else felt as bad about the first question as I did. Then I was startled by the teacher's exhortation: "Never mind looking at others. Just concentrate on yourself!"

Jesus makes a similar point in these verses, using a striking metaphor to instruct His listeners to deal with their own sin before they attempt to point out the sins of others. The word Jesus uses for "speck" often describes very small bits and pieces of straw or wood. In contrast, the word for "log" refers to a load-bearing beam in a house or structure. If I have a log in my eye, it clearly requires my attention more than a speck in someone else's does.

As fallen creatures, we're prone to think it's our responsibility to deal with everybody else's spiritual condition before dealing with our own. Yet Christ hasn't called us to be preoccupied primarily and initially with the specks of others. No, He says we must be diligent in examining ourselves in light of Scripture and the standard that He has set.

Jesus' instruction poses a great challenge. Sometimes we may point out the faults of others under the guise of caring about their spiritual condition. But if we have not first been honest about and ruthless with our own sins, that is hypocrisy! We often fall prey to the mistaken notion that if I can find your flaw and deal with you, then I won't have to deal with my own issues. It's far more pleasant to tell someone else about their dreadful condition than it is to face our own.

If we truly want to help others, then we must first be prepared to face the dreadfulness of our own hearts-to acknowledge with Robert Murray M'Cheyne that "the seeds of all sins are in my heart."  When we understand and believe that, then when we go to approach others we will stand on the low ground of genuine love and humility rather than the high ground of presumption. Between those two perspectives there's all the difference in the world.

JUDE 20-25

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 16-17; John 11:28-57

 PULELULU SEPITEMA 25, 2024

THE IMMENSITY OF FORGIVENESS

KO E HULU ATU ‘O E MO ‘UI FA‘A FAKAMOLEMOLE

LUKE 6:37-38

"Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you." 

LUKE 6:37-38

37 Pea ‘oua ‘e fakaanga, pea ‘e ‘ikai anga‘ia kimoutolu: pea ‘oua ‘e fakahalaia, pea ‘e ‘ikai fakahalaia kimoutolu: mou fakamolemole, pea ‘e fakamolemole ‘a kimoutolu: 38 ‘ange pea ‘e toe ‘omi kiate kimoutolu–kuo fua fakalaka, kuo fa‘o tuki ki he puha fua, kuo lulu‘i, kuo fonu mokulu; ‘e pehē ‘a ‘enau toe ‘atu ki homou kona. He ko e fua ‘oku mou fua ‘aki, ko ia pē ‘e fua ‘aki ho‘omou totongi.

Nothing will corrupt our hearts and our thinking faster than an unforgiving heart. But the reverse is also true: nothing grants freedom, joy, and peace of heart and mind more quickly than the genuine experience of offering forgiveness. Indeed, our readiness to forgive is a litmus test of our spiritual status; when we forgive from the heart, we provide evidence that we actually are sons and daughters of the Most High (Luke 6:35).

Jesus often places our being forgiven and our willingness to forgive next to each other (see Luke 11:4). So when we think about practicing forgiveness, we first have to ask  where we can find it. The answer is that the source of all true forgiveness is found in God alone. Indeed, out of the abundance of God's mercy comes forgiveness.

That forgiveness is as indispensable to the life and health of our souls as food is to our physical bodies. Scripture is filled with reminders that point to God as one who forgives. The psalmist says, "If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness" (Psalm 130:3-4). Similarly, the prophet Daniel says, "To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness" (Daniel 9:9). The divine Son of God, as He was spat upon and mocked, stripped of His clothes, beaten, nailed to a cross between two criminals, and abandoned in agony declared, "Father, forgive them" (Luke 23:34). God's spirit of forgiveness knows no rival.

As God's children by faith in Christ, we are to imitate our Father and our Lord by practicing forgiveness. It is so integral to the life of the true Christian that Jesus goes as far as to say that if we are not willing to forgive, then we should ask ourselves very seriously whether we are truly forgiven: that is, whether we have really grasped the gospel in our hearts (see Matthew 6:14-15). If you are harboring unforgiveness in your heart, do not excuse or belittle it. Instead, bring the gospel to it. Reflect on the immensity of what you have been forgiven through Christ. Reflect on the forgiving nature of your Father, whom you are called to reflect in your life. Recognize the corrupting, life-draining burden of unforgiveness. Specify what you need to do, and for whom. That is the path to enjoying the peace and freedom of forgiving just as you have been forgiven.

LUKE 7:36-50

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 14-15; John 11:1-27

 TUSITE SEPITEMA 24, 2024

SPEAK LIFE, NOT CONDEMNATION

LEA FAKAMO‘UI, ‘OUA ‘E LEA FAKAMAAU

LUKE 6:37

Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned." 

LUKE 6:37

Pea ‘oua ‘e fakaanga, pea ‘e ‘ikai anga‘ia kimoutolu: pea ‘oua ‘e fakahalaia, pea ‘e ‘ikai fakahalaia kimoutolu: mou fakamolemole, pea ‘e fakamolemole ‘a kimoutolu:

The reason we sometimes assume we have the right to condemn another is that it appeals to our sinful nature. If we're honest, the minute we acquire any position of leadership or authority, big or small, it's shocking how quickly we are faced with the temptation to condemn rather than to show mercy.

We must remember that we are not qualified to condemn. Why? Because we cannot read another person's heart. We are unable to assess someone else's motives accurately. God alone can say, "I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works" (Revelation 2:23). Since you and I are not God, we are not to condemn. 

One of the ways we easily and often ignore Jesus' command here is with our tongues; we pronounce condemnation by saying things that harm someone's reputation. In Christian circles, we may even have clever ways to make our slander sound like a prayer request or a concern - but in truth, half the time we're delighted to say it: "Did you hear about her? Do you know about him? Do you know why they did that?" The spirit of the Pharisee - of condemning others in order to show ourselves in a better light by comparison - is alive and well among believers.

Therefore, we must be exceptionally wary of how we use our words. Rather than using our mouths to condemn, we must ask the Holy Spirit to enable us to speak words of life. Before we open our mouths, we ought to heed the advice of the missionary Amy Carmichael and ask: Is what I'm about to say kind? Is it true? Is it necessary? Scripture is absolutely clear on this point. Indeed, the book of Proverbs teaches us that "a fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul," but "he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered" (Proverbs 18:7; 11:13).

We have in Jesus a Savior whose blood cleanses us from the sin of every careless word and every condemning comment - a Savior who forgives us from the sinful tendency that rises in our hearts to try to play a role which is His alone. In light of that, we need to repent daily of the sins of our lips and ask the Spirit for a renewed desire to make both the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts acceptable in our Father's sight (Psalm 19:14).

LUKE 6:37-45

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 11-13; John 10:22-42

 MONITE SEPITEMA 23, 2024

IMITATING THE FATHER'S MERCY

FA‘IFA‘ITAKI KI HE MANAVA‘OFA ‘A E TAMAI

LUKE 6:35-36

"Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." 

LUKE 6:35-36

35 Ka mou ‘ofa‘i homou ngaahi fili; pea fai lelei mo tali nonō, neongo ‘oku ‘ikai te mou ‘amanaki ‘e toe ma‘u mai ha me‘a; pea ‘e lahi ho‘omou totongi, pea te mou hoko ko e ngaahi foha ‘o e ‘eiki Taupotu; he ‘oku angalelei ia ki he ta‘ehounga mo e faikovi. 36 ‘ē, mou hoko ko e kau ‘ofangofua, ‘o hangē ‘oku ‘ofangofua ‘a ho‘omou Tamai.

35 Ka mou ‘ofa ki ho mou gaahi fili, bea fai lelei, mo atu mea, i he tae amanaki ke toe ma‘u; bea e lahi ai hoo mou totogi, bea e ui akimoutolu koe fānau ae Fugani Maoluga: he oku agalelei ia ki he taefakafetai bea moe kovi. 36 Ko ia mou manava‘ofa, ‘o hage foki ko e manava‘ofa ‘a ho‘o mou Tamai. (UESI)

“Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful" is a summary statement of Jesus' famous teaching in the Beatitudes (Luke 6:20-23) and indeed would be a good motto for every believer's life. These words underscore all that Jesus has previously said concerning how we are to treat others—especially those who hate us on account of our faithfulness to Him (v 22).

This should, however, prompt us to ask: what does being merciful actually look like? As our wise and tender Shepherd, Jesus does not leave us to figure out this principle for ourselves. Rather, He gives us specific instructions on what it means to imitate our merciful heavenly Father.

God "is kind to the ungrateful and the evil." As His children, we must realize that we are called to demonstrate this same kindness by loving our enemies, returning good for evil, and giving to others without expecting anything in return. Notice Jesus lists no exemptions or get-out clauses here.

Having called us to be vessels of God's kindness, Jesus then immediately says that we are not to judge others (Luke 6:37). He is not asking us to suspend our critical faculties in our relationships; we have to use our minds to discern between truth and error or good and evil. Likewise Jesus is not teaching that we are to turn a blind eye to sin or refuse to point out errors. Rather, when Jesus commands us not to judge, He is condemning a spirit of self-righteous, self-exalting, hypocritical, harsh judgmentalism- an approach which seeks to highlight the faults of others and always brings with it the flavor of bitterness.

An unkind spirit completely violates Jesus' exhortation to overflow with mercy towards both friend and enemy. Each of us needs to identify any spirit of judgment we may be harboring, to root it out, and to replace cruelty with kindness and harshness with Understanding.

This is how we show to others the kind of mercy that God has shown to us. A (possibly apocryphal) story is told of how, when Queen Elizabeth II was a girl, she and her sister, Margaret, would be told by their mother before they went to a party, "Remember: royal children, royal manners." Their behavior would not make them members of the royal family, but it would demonstrate their membership in that family.

Christian, you and I are members of the royal family of the universe, with the King of creation as our Father. Be sure that your manners reflect who you are and whose you are. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

EPHESIANS 4:25 - 5:2

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 8-10; John 10:1-21

 SAPATE SEPITEMA 22, 2024

THE LAW OF LOVE

KO E LAO ‘O E ‘OFA

LUKE 6:27

"I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”

LUKE 6:27

Ka ‘oku ou tala kiate kimoutolu ‘oku fanongo na, Mou ‘ofa‘i homou ngaahi fili, fai lelei kiate kinautolu ‘oku fehi‘a kiate kimoutolu,

When you read the Bible and it describes Christianity, and then you look at yourself, do you ever wonder whether you're a Christian at all? I know I do.

Neither our assurance as believers nor God's love for us hinges on our ability to live out certain Christian principles; rather, both depend on what Christ has achieved for us on the cross. Even so, the Bible teaches us to look for evidences of our salvation in the present. If we truly are the Father's children, we are bound to display a love for others that resembles Jesus' love for us.

Jesus calls for us to love people in a way that is not related to their attractiveness, merit, or lovability. We know that this is exactly how God loves us - His love is not based on cleaning up our act, deserving His attention, or demonstrating that we're predisposed towards or useful to Him. None of these things contribute to God's love for us. No -"God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8, emphasis added).

The greatest measure of our faith, then, is love - love that reflects the love that we have received in such abundance. We engage in agape love - unconditional, sacrificial love-because it is an expression of the character of God and all He's done for us. We don't exercise this kind of love for our enemies because we are blind to who they really are but because we have gazed at God's love for us. Jesus says that when we see others as they are--in all of their ugliness and spitefulness, all of their cursing, all of their hatred, and all of their unwillingness to pay us what they owe us - we are to be realistic about all of it, and then love them. Seeing all of that enmity, says Jesus, I want you to love your enemies.

By nature, we are incapable of displaying such love. But consider the kind of difference we would make to our culture if we were prepared to live out, in both everyday and extraordinary ways, a Christlike love which seeks to do what's best for those who have acted in enmity towards us. That would be revolutionary - without any question at all.

ACTS 9:10-28

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 5-7; John 9:24-41