We're good morning, everyone, and welcome back to the Messy masterpiece podcast with Chad and Tori. Happy Wednesday. Happy Wednesday or whatever day you're listening on.

Um, no real updates ready to hop in. Yeah, let's just jump on in today. All we are reading out of Luke 6

verse 35 and the devotional is titled reflect God's love. It says 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.

The love letter from God says beloved child. I am love and I give my love to everyone. People can say that they love you, but words without actions are worthless. Love can't clearly be seen unless there is a sacrifice made.

I sent my one and only son so the world would see and know what love looks like through my eyes. I want you to experience the blessings and breakthroughs that come from loving even your enemies.

I know that what I'm asking of you isn't easy and it is impossible to do so in your own strength, but I am only a prayer away. I have the power to give you a heart like mine.

So when you've been hurt and your heart is too broken to love, come to me. I know how to heal and handle your heart because I created you. I am here to give you my heart so you can love in a way that reflects me and leads others to me. Love your heavenly father.

The reflection says it is hard to be kind to those who hurt you, but it is ultimately worse to allow your actions and reactions to control you, consume you or cause you to act like someone you do not want to become.

Stay free by doing good to those who do not deserve it. Your light will shine on their dark hearts and your heart will remain at peace knowing you are a reflection of God's love.

The treasure of truth says love can't clearly be seen unless there is a sacrifice made.

This really makes me think of self control because whenever I started researching how to defend Christianity to atheists specifically because I was one and I remember all the arguments and I wanted to hear the Christian side of it.

I remember one of the things that Christians would say if you don't believe an intelligent design then all we are is floating particles like dancing molecules just reacting to whatever happens.

I really want to be better about not just being that. I don't want to be a reaction. I want to take control over my thoughts. I want to take control over my actions and my feelings.

That is not to say that I don't have feelings. That is not to say that I don't have those things apart of me but I am not going to let them control me.

I am going to control them and process them in a way that is healthy and ultimately that is going to give me the best chance of actually loving people the way Jesus is calling me to love people because if I just lived off of my reactions in the way I feel the time I would create a path of destruction behind me.

I love doing it said in the reflection it is ultimately worse to allow your actions and reactions to control you, consume you or cause you to act like someone that you do not want to become.

I think we all know those people who have had those reactions that are just they are cute or rub you the wrong way and what just testimony of God's grace and God's goodness to be able to have our reactions under the authority of the Holy Spirit and what a testimony to be so counter-cultural when the world says, well I mean follow your feelings.

Your reactions are valid and the Bible is so different. It says that we are supposed to make our thoughts and our actions obedient to the Holy Spirit and inside of those reactions we can glorify God and it also says that as we do that our light shines and we can actually bring people into the presence of the Lord because they are going to say, whoa there is something different about how they are responding to this circumstance.

I wonder how they have so much joy inside of this like terrible situation or how did they react kindly to that person who was just so mean to them and they start asking these questions and those questions you know the answer is Jesus it always is it always will be it's Jesus every single time.

And you know I think some people struggle with well how can I they are not they don't deserve my love they don't deserve my forgiveness and our follow up question is that is do you deserve it do you deserve the love and grace and forgiveness of God.

No y'all this grace is undeserved unmerited favor that we we don't deserve it and that's why it's so good and if we're going to try to love like Jesus loves it means we have to love the people who don't necessarily deserve it.

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