Love God Greatly - Made for CommunitySample

As followers of Jesus, when we live in community with people the way God intended, often times it takes us standing up and living in a way that is very countercultural with the rest of the world. This is especially true when dealing with our enemies. Not only do today’s verses say to love our enemies, they specifically say to do good to them, to bless them, to pray for them, to be generous to them – not asking for anything in return. No, responding God’s way to our enemies won’t look fair or popular in the world’s eyes, and our flesh will constantly fight against this kind of thinking. BUT, it is possible to live this way by the power of God living through us!! When we have experienced first-hand the generous love and unmerited forgiveness of our Savior - and then stay in close community with Him – only then will we be filled with His power and strength and will be able to extend His grace and love to the most unlovable people in our lives. The most beautiful part of all of this? When we love even our enemies, we live out our goal of living in community with people – we glorify God and let His light shine for all the world to see.