Luke 6:32–36 (NIV)
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
To love the loveable,
the kind,
the responsible,
the dependable,
the merciful,
is nice–
Nice and easy.
Who wouldn’t love those who love us,
those who are good to us,
those who dependably repay every debt?
Well. . .me I guess, at times. God knows
how often I fail
to offer up thanks.
How easy it is to take love for granted and
feel entitled to every kindness
and to call everyone to whom we lend
to account?
And yet today we remember Your servant Patrick who
saw all that he loved burn
and was dragged off
and forced to live the life of slave.
When by your Grace he met Jesus,
he found a kindred soul who
had been spurned, rejected, beaten and killed.
In the way of Jesus he proclaimed Love
and Kindness
and forgave all his debts.
May the love of this saint challengel us
to likewise, give our lives away
to the undeserving,
mean-spirited,
tight-fisted,
and unreliable.
The way of Patick is the way of Christ,
and we’ve all been
enemies of God.
thoughts, prayers & songs: 