LOVE WITHOUT LIMITS (6 OF 12)
by Keith Krell
Scripture: Matthew 5:38-48
This content is part of a series.
Love Without Limits (6 of 12)
Series: Counter-Cultural Christianity
Keith Krell
Matthew 5:38-48
Last month, my neighbor and workout partner turned a stunningly youthful forty. His generous wife bought him a thousand dollar mini-gym. Ted and I were beside ourselves! We were finally going to lift weights as God originally intended. There was only one problem: The three flat boxes that were delivered looked nothing like the gym we were expecting. We needed to put this weight-lifting paradise together ourselves. (I hate it when there is no demo model!) We read on-line that the estimated time to put everything together was eight hours! I about cried when I read this! To make matters more excruciating, the directions were dreadful! Whoever wrote these directions is either a rocket scientist from MIT with a chip on his shoulder, or an utter imbecile with a sadistic sense of humor. Unlike me, Ted is very mechanically inclined. Yet, even Ted said, "I have never put together anything more difficult than the Marcy 4300." In time, we assembled the beast. Or, should I say, Ted finally subdued this project. I just handed him tools and tried not to make too many blunders. In the end, the only way we completed this task was by following the directions. Even though the directions were confusing, difficult, and disputable, without them we would have been sunk. Therefore, we poured over every page, photograph, diagram, and step-by-step direction, gleaning what help each could offer.
Likewise, in the spiritual realm, the only way to deal with an especially daunting task or relationship is by studying the directions in God's Word. This admonition is especially important when it comes to loving those who hurt us. We live in a society of raw power: the one with the strongest fists or the most guns wins. Instead of the Golden Rule, our ethics are, "Do unto others first, before they do unto you." "If they do anything bad to you at all, finish them off before they can do anything ...
Series: Counter-Cultural Christianity
Keith Krell
Matthew 5:38-48
Last month, my neighbor and workout partner turned a stunningly youthful forty. His generous wife bought him a thousand dollar mini-gym. Ted and I were beside ourselves! We were finally going to lift weights as God originally intended. There was only one problem: The three flat boxes that were delivered looked nothing like the gym we were expecting. We needed to put this weight-lifting paradise together ourselves. (I hate it when there is no demo model!) We read on-line that the estimated time to put everything together was eight hours! I about cried when I read this! To make matters more excruciating, the directions were dreadful! Whoever wrote these directions is either a rocket scientist from MIT with a chip on his shoulder, or an utter imbecile with a sadistic sense of humor. Unlike me, Ted is very mechanically inclined. Yet, even Ted said, "I have never put together anything more difficult than the Marcy 4300." In time, we assembled the beast. Or, should I say, Ted finally subdued this project. I just handed him tools and tried not to make too many blunders. In the end, the only way we completed this task was by following the directions. Even though the directions were confusing, difficult, and disputable, without them we would have been sunk. Therefore, we poured over every page, photograph, diagram, and step-by-step direction, gleaning what help each could offer.
Likewise, in the spiritual realm, the only way to deal with an especially daunting task or relationship is by studying the directions in God's Word. This admonition is especially important when it comes to loving those who hurt us. We live in a society of raw power: the one with the strongest fists or the most guns wins. Instead of the Golden Rule, our ethics are, "Do unto others first, before they do unto you." "If they do anything bad to you at all, finish them off before they can do anything ...
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