Day 12
Perfect Love
‘If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.’
Matthew 5:46-48
Loving those who it is easy to love is easy. Anyone can do that. Even those with shaky morals love those who are in their “club”, their “gang”, their “crew”.
But to love like God loves, now that’s another matter. God’s perfect love is generous love. Love that stretches past social boundaries, across the borderlines, extending love to those we wouldn’t call “us”, to those we see as “them”.
And there is very little emotional pay off in loving like this. Often “those people” might even scorn the love we offer, or even abuse us.
But we don’t do it because we want to be loved in return, or feel good, or look good. We do it for one reason and one reason alone…
‘Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.’
Matthew 5:46-48
We love this way because we have been loved this way.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”
1 John 4:18-20
We love them because in doing so, we are reflecting the family culture that we belong to, we are operating by the playbook of our Kingdom family- this Kingdom family Jesus came to earth to establish.
When we love people who we find difficult to love, those who are ‘on the other side’, we are living like and looking like we are children of our Father in heaven. Because we are.
Jesus didn’t just come to earth just to die and become our saviour, He came to earth to teach us what it means to be God’s children.
God incarnate crossed over the borderline between heaven and earth, the borderline between all our human brokenness and all His perfect love, to reach us. To save us. To teach us how to be like Him, and resemble our Heavenly Father.
‘Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.’
Matthew 5:46-48
Love that Stretches Past Social Boundaries, Across the Borderlines…
Journaling The Journey
According to this teaching, what does Jesus view as perfection?
What picture does this passage paint of God’s heart towards human beings?
What call does this passage describe for the children of God?
Who is He calling you to love?
Todays Hillside Photograph was taken from Beacon Hill in the Malvern Hills, Worcestershire, UK
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