But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
Luke 6: 27-31
These are hard words to hear. But you are committed to living a Godly life, and you truly want to live the way Jesus teaches us. So you resolve to be like this.
Until that moment comes when a relative tells lies about you to other family members. Or a workmate sets you up to make you look awful in front of the boss. Or a neighbor is stealing from others in the neighborhood, including you. These are the moments when the reality of Jesus’ words really hit home. Can he really mean for me to be kind and talk kind to such as these?
At this point, it seems that Jesus has asked us to do the impossible.
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26
In our natural lives, these commands are virtually impossible. If you did respond as Jesus taught, it would not be long before resentment and anger would overwhelm you.
But Jesus would not ask us to do something that is impossible to do, or that would wreak emotional trauma in us. Jesus has equipped His people with all they need to not only be obedient to this challenging command, but to do it joyfully with a pure heart.
You see, a normal human cannot behave in such a way without experiencing strong emotional resistance. But through Jesus’ death and resurrection, He has made us a new creation in Him. We are told to put off the old man with its passions and desires and put on the new man made in the likeness of His image (Ephesians 4:20-24). That new man has dwelling in him the Spirit of God, bringing with him gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23). Because you have the Spirit of God in you, you are perfectly and completely equipped to follow Jesus commands. We can do it, because He is in us and He can do it.
In that same scripture passage Paul reveals that the process requires renewing the mind. It is with this renewing of the mind that you can finally drop the old man with his ways and put on the new man with all the benefits and joys that come with him (Ephesians 4:20-24).
This is a part of living the supernatural life, where you do not live by your natural circumstances, but you choose rather to live by the word of God. Your emotions and the Word of God are going to conflict. You must choose which you will live by. It is not easy, but you are equipped to do it if you belong to Jesus. What is impossible for man to do, you can do because the Spirit of God dwells within you.
To learn more about the supernatural life, read the 9 part teaching series “Understanding the Kingdom.”
Scripture of the week is designed to assist you in renewing your mind through the Word of God. We choose a scripture and include a short commentary so that you can meditate on them for the week. Please do not read it once and move on. Print it out and read it over and over during the week so that your mind can be reprogrammed (Romans 12:2) in the supernatural Word of God!
Other scripture commentaries by Marjorie Lou
Revelation 12: 11 – Did you know that you play a part in conquering the enemy?
John 6: 28-29 – Are you doing important work, or working in vain?
Ephesians 1: 18-20 – Do you know the immeasurable greatness of God’s power?
James 1: 2-4 – Steps to rejoicing in your trials
Matthew 14: 28-31 – Jesus is not the only one who walked on water!
Romans 10: 9 – Is Jesus a true master?
John 13:34-35 – Do you have this mark of a true believer?
