Called To Love

CALLED TO LOVE

a prayer to open

Open my eyes and help me to see you.

Open my heart and help me to know you.

Jesus, my Lord and my God.

[Jesus said,] “Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

“If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.

“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. . . .

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

Oh that we could live out these words of Jesus more often! What would our world look like? Our families and communities? Our churches and workplaces? In our culture, it has become the norm to criticize and condemn people based on any number of opinions or attitudes. Rarely do we find respectful dialogue and debate. And the growing divisiveness weighs on our souls and infects our hearts. Jesus knows what happens when we give in to judgmentalism and condemnation. He calls us to take a different road: one of forgiveness, self-reflection, goodness, blessing, love, and generosity.

• Where did you experience the most resistance as you read this passage? Did any person come to mind? What did you hear Jesus calling you to pray or do for that person?
• In what ways have you contributed to divisiveness? What do you need to confess to God? What relationships do you need to seek to repair?
• What does today’s passage reveal to you about Jesus?

Father, thank you for these words from Jesus. My heart can be so full of thoughts of revenge, judgment, and self-righteousness. Help me look inward and see what you want to transform for your honor and glory. Give me a generous spirit toward others, especially my enemies and those I judge and condemn by my words or thoughts. Create in me a heart that only ever loves, blesses, forgives, and extends mercy. Amen.