Do You Care for Others? (Luke 6:27-36)

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TEST:  Do You Care for Others?

Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 6:27-36

Would you say that, in general, you love people? Three pictures are up behind me–pick one of them to focus on.

1. You walk out of your doctor’s office on your way to your car. As you exit the doors, to the right there’s a concrete bench. One of them is sitting there by themselves, tears in their eyes, crying. Do you keep walking, or do you stop and ask what’s wrong?

Would you do the same for each of them?

2. Now pretend you’re at the gas station putting gas in your car, and a person walks up to you. “Hey man, do you have five bucks? I lost my wallet and am almost out of gas.”

Would your answer be the same to each of them?

3. How about . . . you’re at church and they walk on campus. Do you walk up and greet them? Do you keep your eye on them from afar? Do you move out of the way?

Do you treat them all the same or differently?

Last week we talked about worldliness and how Christians are distinct from the world. We often focus on how the world impacts our thinking and our wants. But much more rarely do we think about the impact of the world on our love. Is it possible that the thinking of the world has infected your love for others? There should be no place on Earth more full of mercy than the Church.

We are as sinful as everyone else, yet more aware of it than most. We know the depths of our sins and the amazing mercy of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. In light of what we’ve been forgiven, we have no right to look down, to think them worthless or without hope, or even to withhold our love. We who are the most forgiven should be the most forgiving. We who are the most loved should be the most loving–that’s part of our mission as Christians. Not that we just comfort the dying, but that we seek to revive the dead.

We are called to declare the Gospel in such a way that people are saved by Jesus and transformed by Jesus. However, sometimes people confuse their Christian mission with the Church’s mission. As a church, we have a mission that is distinct from yours. The broad mission of the Church is to equip and establish. We equip Christians for the work of ministry. We do that through preaching the Word, corporate worship, CGs, student ministries, short-term teams, and a whole bunch of ways. And we establish more churches that will do the same.

But here’s the dilemma . . . that is the priority for Sundays when we gather–not every Christian’s priority for all time. You have different priorities. Let me explain.

There are certain commands given in Scripture that are for the Church when we gather. We are commanded to regularly take the Lord’s Supper. We’re commanded to give attention to the Word and its preaching. We’re commanded to use our spiritual gifts for the growth of the Church. We’re commanded to work together to see new churches established . . . and on and on.

There are other priorities that God has given to believers outside of what happens in church. Think about the obvious ones in Ephesians 6. “Children, obey your parents“–is that just for at church? “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger“–is that for when he’s at church? “Servants, be obedient to those who are your masters“–is that at church? “Masters, give up threatening others“–do you think Paul was thinking of church gatherings?

Now here’s my point–when we’re talking about mercy, we are talking about the Christian’s calling and responsibility. We are not talking about the Church. Now church shouldn’t be a mean place. It shouldn’t be heartless at all. In fact, when you arrive, we care a lot that people experience the love of God wherever they go on campus. But we don’t gather for that purpose. We don’t gather in order to practice mercy. We gather on Sundays in order to worship God and equip one another to minister.

Some churches mix that up. When you leave church each week, you are being sent by God into the world in order to live out your purpose. You leave here and you go do all that God has commanded you as a husband, as a wife, as a worker, as a student, etc. to do. You tell the truth rather than lie. You share your faith rather than stay silent. You give to others rather than spend all on yourself. You turn off sin rather than watch it.

Chris, last week, talked about worldliness as a mark of assurance. How you live can be an indicator of salvation. It reveals your thoughts about eternity and the Lord. Do you take seriously what He says?

Last week, we had the church beach day. One of our team had chosen South Ponto as a new location with a better beach and nearby bathrooms, so we thought, “GREAT, let’s do it!” We promoted it, we advertised it, a few of our interns drove down with BBQ and EZ-ups in hand to mark out space. Not long after setting up, we get a call from them. One of the state beach cops asked for their event permit. And because we didn’t know we needed one, they told our guys to pack up the BBQ and tear down the EZ-ups.

My initial reaction was to think about how to work around the restrictions that were placed on us. Can each man set up an EZ-up for themselves, and put it 10 to 12 ft away from the next? That will give us 40 to 50 ft of beachfront. Then as our people arrive and crowd in, I’m confident the strangers will relocate. I’m scheming.

Some of you are like me–you hear a restriction and you think, “How can I get around it to do what I want?” Listen, you may do that at home and with our local laws–but you cannot do that with God’s Law. The question of assurance comes down to how you handle God’s Word. If you are looking for escape clauses and workarounds to obedience, you are in deep, deep trouble. Your schemes will not stand up in God’s court on the last day.

So today, as we come to the test of mercy, try to put aside your inclination to argue and to find the exception. Just consider today this one truth–a distinguishing mark of Christianity is compassion. Do you care for others? I admit that I don’t do it as well as I’d like.

As a church family, I think we’re growing in this. As Christians, we are called to care for others. Sometimes the Bible calls it love, or mercy, or compassion. All of them are getting at the same core question–do you care about others more than yourself?

Many churches that emphasize doctrine and truth display a lack of love for others. They do not treat others with grace, mercy and kindness. We can be prone to this at FBC, and we try to guard against it. Often the churches that do the best job at caring for people are the ones that have set aside the Gospel entirely. And maybe this makes us rebel, because we don’t want to become like them. But if you are a Christian, you are going to display a radical, selfless, compassionate heart for others–no matter what’s been done to you, no matter your circumstance.

Would you read along with me the verses printed in the notes and get a feel for the radical mercy that God is calling for?

1 John 3:17, “Whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

Matthew 25:41 to 43, ” ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴²for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; ⁴³I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ “

Galatians 6:10, “While we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”

1 Thessalonians 5:14, “Encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”

Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

James 2:13, “Judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy.”

To pack all that into one statement, you could simply say that those who know mercy will show mercy. Those who know the mercy of God in their lives will show mercy to others. If you lack compassion for others . . . if you always put yourself first . . . if you walk by those in need without a twinge in the heart . . . you should question your salvation. God calls every true Christian to care for others, to imitate Him by loving those who are unlike you–the unsaved,  unsavory, unkempt and unlovable. If you know God’s love, you will show love to others.

Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 25. Chapters 24 and 25 are known as the Olivet Discourse–the last major sermon of five by Jesus in the gospel of Matthew. It was a private sermon, out of the public-eye, with his disciples gathered around Him. These two chapters are entirely prophetic and describe the final events of the apocalypse and the return of Christ.

At the end of Matthew 25, Jesus is describing the final judgment before the establishment of His millennial kingdom. It’s typically called the Sheep and Goats Judgment. Now my goal is not to break out the charts and graphs to talk about end times. Instead, what I’d like you to see is how believers are divided from unbelievers.

Let’s read Matthew 25:31 to 46. ” ‘But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. ³²All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; ³³and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

      ³⁴‘Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; ³⁶naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.” ³⁷‘Then the righteous will answer Him, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ³⁸Whendid we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ³⁹When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?” ⁴⁰‘The King will answer and say to them, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

      ⁴¹‘Then He will also say to those on His left, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴²for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; ⁴³I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.” ⁴⁴‘Then they themselves also will answer, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?” ⁴⁵‘Then He will answer them, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” ⁴⁶‘These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’ ”

The first question you have to wrestle with is:

1) Do I Care About Other Christians?

The basis for separating sheep from goats in this passage is how they treated “the least of these”–that’s not Patrick’s old band, but Jesus is talking about Christians. Matthew 25:40, “Truly, I say to you, to the extent that you (showed mercy) to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” The sheep, the faithful, the saved show mercy to brothers and sisters of Jesus.

Jesus is not talking about His physical family, but His spiritual one. Earlier, in chapter 12, Jesus had publicly declared who was His brother. Matthew 12:49 to 50, “And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold, My mother and My brothers! ⁵⁰For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” So when He’s now teaching His disciples, they understand perfectly what He means. Christians act with love and compassion and grace to their spiritual brothers and sisters.

The charge against the goats in chapter 25 is that they did not show mercy to others. They are not condemned in this passage for idolatry or adultery or lying. They are condemned for neglect. They are condemned for selfishness. Their failure to love others was a demonstration of their unbelief. They cared only for themselves.

The righteous naturally show mercy to other believers. You can see how natural it is by looking at their response in verses 37 to 39. Jesus commends them for serving Him and they say, “Lord, when did we serve you?” We were just caring for our own. They are ignorant of their actions being anything significant or unusual. Mercy should be the natural response of Christians to other believers.

What kind of mercy? Look at the descriptions Jesus uses in verses 35 to 36–got that? Most of these needs remain today. Today, this morning, you likely know someone who is sick and needs visiting . . . are aware of someone who’d benefit from a bag of groceries . . . have heard of someone in a trial that needs encouragement. Sitting around you today are people who need hospitality. I’m not just talking about regulars being nice to visitors.

This may be your first or second week here–and rather than wait for people to reach out to you, God is calling for you to have compassion on others. This may be where you’ve been at church ever since we started in 2003. And this move to MV for the summer has been hard on you, because you’ve been sitting in the same place, talking to the same people for the last ten years. God made you get up! All the flooring work that Bella Vista is doing could be your fault–it was all orchestrated by God so that you would get out of your old chair, meet some new people and now you need to invite them over for dinner.

Christians should naturally show mercy to their spiritual family. Actions like that show how Christ has transformed your life. These actions are not the means of your salvation. You can see in verse 34 that “the kingdom was prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” You have been marked out for salvation long before now. Deeds of mercy aren’t the cause of salvation–they are the result.

When your heart is merciful and loving to others, it provides some assurance of salvation. If you are disconnected relationally from other Christians, you won’t have this assurance. Here at this judgment, they are how Christ recognizes His brothers and sisters. He is judging their life by the fruit of their affections. Christians show mercy to their spiritual family. A church without mercy is like a family where a drill sergeant is in command.

Leaders bark orders. People will live in fear and anxiety. There will not be joy there, but people living by rules and regulations. Life in a church with no mercy will be no baby showers, no conversations of hope with expectant mothers. Words will crush joy, comparisons will be made, your issues will always be minimized. There would not be funeral meals, nor flowers, not even condolences or a phone call. There would be lots of talk about what you’re dissatisfied by in church.

There would be lots of nit-picking over details that you feel could’ve been done better . . .  critiquing how others are dressed (or not dressed) . . .  criticizing the parenting skills of others in the church . . .  assigning motive to every decision made by ministry leaders . . . no greeters, no ushers and no children’s workers . . . the preacher would shout at you every week you would leave feeling condemned and hopeless.

That is not how Christ called us to live, or what the Church should be. A church should be a place of love. Christians should act with care and concern for one another. That should be our natural response. If you can look at another believer who’s suffering and not feel compassion and not want to show mercy, then your faith is dead. If you have no love for others, you failed this test of salvation.

That’s the meaning of Jesus sending the goats off to judgment for not showing mercy. The goats are people who were mixed in with the sheep and pretended to be part of the flock, but really weren’t. He’s saying, if you have no mercy for people in your spiritual family, then you show you’re not really in the family. That’s what James, the brother of Jesus, says in James 2:15 to 17. If you see your brother or sister in physical need and you do not provide physical help, then your faith has no vitality and it’s dead. Christians will show mercy to one another.

If you do not show mercy to those whom you call brothers and sisters, then you are not really a part of the family and are destined for Hell. Seems strong, doesn’t it? Incredibly strong words about how you should be merciful. It’s amazing to think that Jesus says something even stronger then about loving the unbeliever.

Turn in your Bibles to Luke 6:27. Luke 6 is the physician’s account of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It parallels in shorter form the sermon found in Matt 5 to 7. And in forceful language, we find the second major question about love.

2) Do you Love the Lost?

Let’s read Luke 6:27 to 36, “ ‘But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. ²⁹To 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. ³⁰Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. ³¹And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. ³²If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. ³⁵But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. ³⁶Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.’ “

This text is more radical than Matthew 25. He says that if we only love our family and not those outside the family, then we remain hell-bound. In Jesus’ day, the Romans were in charge. Life was not easy and very few Jews were citizens. Their food, their possessions and their families could be forfeited at any time. Roman soldiers took what they liked and the Jews could do nothing.

It would be less than forty years after this that such a major Jewish revolt began, that the Tenth Roman Legion came and razed the Temple itself. Before the Romans, it was the Chaldeans and the Persians and the Medes and the Babylonians and the Assyrians and the Egyptians. The Jews spent much of their history in bondage. Foreign oppressors would have given them a right to hate. That hate for the soldier would extend to his children. That hate for the Caesar would extend to the merchant.

There were many who the Jews could naturally call an enemy. Jesus calls them to show genuine love and compassion towards all people.  “Do good to those who hate you.” “Love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.” We do not typically live near violent enemies today. There are some who want to kill Christians. There are many who think Christianity is dangerous and hurtful. Though few people today would claim to be opposed to your faith, most would be against what you actually believe
about Heaven, Hell and holiness.

In this setting, Jesus is referring to those who’re actively mistreating you. And He calls for you to love them–to love your most hateful enemies. This is radically different than what’s natural in the world. Verses 32 to 34 acknowledge that. Jesus asks, “What credit do you get for loving people who love you? Normal sinners do that.” What’s unusual and completely contrary is when you love your enemies!

About ten years ago, an attempted robbery in DC made national news. A gunman enters the patio area of a home in DC and points his gun at a little girl’s head. “Give me your money or I’ll start shooting.” The parents and guests remain calm and offer the man a glass of wine. He drinks a bit, exclaims how good it is, drinks a bit more, has a bite of cheese and apologizes. With the gun now in his waistband, he asks for a hug, and then a group hug, and then he walks out, wine glass in hand. That story went all around the country. #1 it’s bizarre, and #2 their unusual reaction to an enemy.

Christians should be making headlines with how they treat unbelievers. It should be so contrary to what’s normal that we make the news. But the people who’re making the news right now are the eagle scout, and the wine drinkers, and the police medic. Christians are to love and have compassion on their enemies.

Jesus goes on later in the gospel of Luke to say that all non-Christians are His enemies. In Luke 11:23, Jesus says that there is no neutral ground. You are either for or against Him. There is no Switzerland in spiritual things–there’s no neutrality. You are either a brother of Christ or an enemy of Christ. In fact, in the Early Church, the phrase “enemy” came to be used for the unsaved.

Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:15 says, if someone doesn’t obey my instruction, do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. James 4:4 says, “A friend of the world is an enemy of God.” And Paul in Romans 5:10 tells us that prior to salvation, we were enemies. So we can’t simply stop at Matthew 25 and only have compassion for Christians–that is unacceptable. You cannot follow Jesus and show zero compassion for unbelievers who are enemies of God and the Church.

Living in Southern California we walk from our air conditioned house into the garage and climb into our air conditioned cars. We drive to our air conditioned malls and theatres and consume and gratify and satiate ourselves–while around us in the streets and in other cars, people full of sorrow and grief and pain zoom by. These are not even people who’re outwardly antagonistic to you.

There are people we pass by every day who’re in deep need of compassion. The depressed . . . the overweight . . . the socially awkward . . . the poor . . . the unpopular . . . the unemployed . . . the smokers . . . the drinkers . . . these are people you can easily minister to and show mercy towards. Yet I, and maybe you can get plugged into our phones and our circumstances so that we walk by people in need of mercy just as if we were blind.

Who are those in need of mercy, love and compassion? Matthew 25, your spiritual family. Luke 6, your enemy. Pretty much everyone. Christians show mercy to their spiritual family. Christians show mercy to their enemies and all those who’re opposed to God. Essentially, Christians show mercy and compassion towards anybody and everybody who needs it.

This is not a question of gifting. You can’t get away from this by saying you’re not a mercy person. Jesus has made it a question of life and death. If you’re saved, you will show mercy. You will be kind. You will be forgiving. It is a clear test and evidence of salvation. Your care for others is evidence of whether you know God’s mercy in your own life. This is the big test.

3) Do You Imitate God in His Mercy?

In your treatment of your family, of unbelievers or of outright enemies, do you imitate God in His mercy? Luke 6:35 to 36, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. ³⁶Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

The problem is that we usually treat people based on how we believe they deserve to be treated. If she’s mean to me, I can be aggressive in my response. If he doesn’t have the decency to look me in the eyes, then the answer is no. To our kids, why would I say yes after you treated me like that? The problem is that we are looking for the individual to earn our care.

Maybe you think that your problem is that you can only see what’s on the outside. That if you could only see beyond how they looked or acted–if only I could know them better, I’d be compelled to love them more. That might be–but that is not at all God’s love! It is actually the opposite of biblical compassion and love. Biblical compassion is showing mercy and kindness to those who’re undeserving of it. Luke 6:35, “He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”

So why do we share the Gospel? Do you share the Gospel because a person seemed nice enough to you that they might listen? Do you share the Gospel because you know that they like you enough that you won’t risk your friendship? Why do we support missionaries and send our short-term teams? It is not because certain countries or cities finally earned our care. If they had to earn our care, we’d never send out anyone.

When you share the Gospel and when our church sends out missionaries and short-term teams, we are simply imitating the love that God showed to us when we were rebels against Him. Ephesians 2:3 to 5 is in your notes. This passage shows the great compassion that God has. “We too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. ⁴But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ.”

God had compassion on you and me when there was nothing lovable in us–nothing! Most people think, “God’s compassion and pleasure is determined by how I live.” They assume that there’s something lovable in us. But the Bible and the Gospel say there is nothing lovable in us. The is nothing inherently better about you to God than the tattooed guy down the street who sits drunk in his garage every night. Our single confidence is in the righteousness of Christ.

Have you forgotten who you were? A sinner, totally in rebellion towards God, an enemy of God–chosen despite your unworthiness. Maybe you’ve forgotten how greatly God has changed you from who you were to who you are? Tomorrow morning, while you shower, daydream about what your life would probably be like if you’d never become a Christian. Think about the different choices you would’ve made earlier in life. Think about where those choices would have led you. The grace and mercy of God is magnificent!

Maybe you have forgotten who you are now. After becoming a Christian, you don’t now live in a way that earns your salvation. After believing in Christ, you don’t begin to trust in yourself. You are still sinful–you are still saved by grace alone. There is nothing in your life, apart from Christ, that makes you deserving of mercy–then or now.

Now take that amazing truth about salvation and understand that your love, mercy and compassion for others flows out of a recognition of your worthlessness. When you are awed by the grace of God towards you, then it is much easier to have compassion on others. You don’t do it because someone else is worth loving, but because you know how unlovely you are too! Those who know mercy will show mercy. If you know God’s love, you will show God’s love.

Every day, God has compassion on undeserving men and women–Christian and enemy alike. He allowed the sun to rise on them today. He keeps their hearts beating. He provides shelter for many of them. He provides churches to care for them. Christians are to be imitators of God in His mercy. We are to look out at our family and our neighbors and our enemies and show kindness, and forgiveness, and mercy and love.

We’re surrounded by people in need of mercy. They are hurt and wounded and silently crying for help. They need love. They need hope. They need the Gospel. This is true for the beggar you drive by on the street. This is true for the drunk guy sitting a few rows behind you at the stadium. And it’s true for the sweet lady who cuts your hair every month. Oftentimes, when we think compassion ministry, we think of inner-city urban ministry. When we think evangelism, we think of street preachers and door knocking. We think mercy, and Africa comes to mind, or Tijuana and orphans.

But the list is much broader. We should be as extensive in our care for others as God is. Who needs compassion? Your parents probably do. Your spouse and your kids do. Others in the church here today are crying out for you to show them love and care. All around you every day God is placing people for you to show His mercy towards. The soon-to-be-divorced guy, the angry supervisor, the older single girl who never gets asked out, the unmarried couple down the street who call the cops on each other, the unemployed homeless guy whom you think is just lazy, the young man who lacks self-control, the pregnant unmarried teen, the waitress who’s just been verbally-abused.

We are called to show mercy to others as imitators of God. Luke 6:36, “Be merciful, just as your Father [in heaven] is merciful.” This does not just mean we meet physical needs and move on. It means combining physical compassion with words that bring spiritual healing. In the gospels, you read over and over that Jesus is “moved by compassion”. You search “compassion” in the gospels and you find it motivating Jesus over and over. When it says this, Jesus typically responds with an act of mercy and the outcome is Gospel salvation. He begins with physical healing, and consistently ends with spiritual healing.

To be merciful as a church means that we care practically for people in tangible ways. And it also means that we speak words of Gospel hope. This is the particular job of Christians. We exist as a church to equip you to go do this work. If you are a true disciple of Jesus, then you will be drawn to show mercy to others. We will imitate our heavenly Father as we love His children and love His enemies.

The opportunities are endless. You could devote your time to Birth Choice in Temecula. They have new leadership who desire to see the Gospel be at the center of their ministry to mothers who’re considering abortion and in need of care. You could pursue becoming foster parents to children in need of care. You could donate a kidney to someone at work who you barely know. You could choose to carry water and granola bars in your car to give to people who are holding signs asking for handouts. Or you could sell off some of your stuff to raise money to support the work of God in another part of the world.

If God is prompting some radical changes in your life to manifest mercy, then go do it. But I would argue that the greatest changes need to happen in your existing situation. It’s not that you need to go do something new. It’s that you need to be attentive to what’s right in front of you. All around you every day are people in deep need of compassion and love. What God is calling you to do is to look with His eyes on the world. To look with mercy and tenderness at the unlovely right around you–your children this afternoon, your mother-in-law tonight, a neighbor and a coworker tomorrow.

If you take God as your example and begin to love like He does, it will be costly. It will require sacrifice. It will not be to your praise. It may not make you feel good. You will be taken advantage of and even appear foolish for how freely you give towards others. AND . . . you can gain assurance that you have passed the test of love. And on the final day, you will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Master.”