Recharge Message: Matthew 5: 43-48

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor^[a] and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

~Matthew 5: 43-48 

Love is a central theme in the Bible--we've all heard it said that God is love.  So much of what we believe revolves around this idea of love.  But love is also a challenging topic for Christians, because we tend to put limits on it.  We want to love this group, but no that group.  We want to define how we love, who we love, and when we love, and sometimes even who we don't love. Sometimes we even withdraw our love from somebody because we feel that they don't deserve it.  

But this isn't the love that Jesus teaches us in the Bible.  The love Jesus teaches is love without limits--to be able to even love our enemies!

Christians are called to a higher standard.  We're supposed to show Christian love (agape love) to everyone!  That person in our life that has never said a kind word to us.  That woman at the grocery store that cut in line.  Even that obnoxious guy at work that ate the last sprinkle donut.  

Can you do that?  Can you show the same unconditional love to others that our Father in heaven shows us?

(This is an excerpt from the Wednesday Night ReCharge message delivered at Muncie Baptist Church on April 6, 2022)

~Todd E. Creason