Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week- Matthew 5:47-48


-Matthew 5:47-48 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

-Perfect means complete, mature, grown.  In other words children and immature people love only those that are like them.  Mature Christ followers grow up and love even their enemies.

-Jesus uses the word "mercy" instead of "perfect" in his sermon on the plain in Luke 6.

Luke 6
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 sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

-So apparently mercy and perfection, completeness, being mature are connected.

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