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.
38give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
What really struck me was, “if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.” It is so easy to be comfortable in our relationships and seek relationships that will be easy and fun to maintain. But that isn’t what we are called to do. I want to push myself to love those who may not love me back or may be hard to love, because that’s what Jesus did.
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. -ellie
Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. May this truth be used to reveal to us what we need to repent of, and reveal to others the glories of our salvation in the Lord.
God calls us to be faithful in him and nothing else! Luke 6 has shown me that we must seek God in order to not judge, bear good fruit, and have a firm foundation!
I love reading the history of Chronicles. It helps me to remember that these two books were written after the exile, after Israel and Judah had fallen into the enemies hands, after they had lost the temple and so much of their inheritance. These books were their history, the story of who they were and where they’d come from. But more than that, it was the story of God’s faithfulness in spite of their faithlessness.
In many ways, it mirrors 1 and 2 Kings, but there aren’t as many stories of the bad kings here. It was like these were the good memories. Everyone knew their failings, but maybe it was harder to remember the good things, the blessings and the promises of God.
I think that’s why there are all those lists in the first several chapters. I imagine families returning from exile to the broken city of Jerusalem, and searching through Chronicles for their names, the names of their ancestors. To know that you had a history, a lineage that was written down. After all, for many of these folks, they’d been exiles for 70 years. For the tribes of Israel, they’d been gone for even longer than that. To find your family listed…wow, that must have been healing. You still belonged to Israel. You hadn’t been cut off just because you’d sinned.
And how amazing it is knowing our names are written in the Book of Life. Never to be erased. Hallelujah! We have not been cut off, but belong to God by the blood of Jesus!
It was no accident that we read Luke 6:27-49 on the same day as the tragedy in Orlando. God knew. God sees, God hears, God knows, God is faithful. God is here.
I’m reminded today that we are not here on this earth to judge or condemn others for their sins because when it comes down to it were all sinners. We are to live by doing to others what we would want for ourselves and the word of God is to serve as the foundation of our lives. As Jesus says it’s easy to do this and to show love and do good to those who do the same for us, but the challenge comes with doing the same for our enemies. Showing love to everyone without expecting anything in return is like taking the narrow gate that Jesus talks about in Matt 7:13-14 – showing mercy, generosity, forgiveness to everyone, especially to those who’ve wronged us, can be difficult, therefore few people take this path. But if we walk thru the narrow gate by choosing love and compassion in all circumstances and put gods word into practice, it will lead to life and we will be rewarded greatly, just as Jesus tells the people in 6:35
Luke 6:32-33 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.”
Jesus’ wisdom throughout all of Luke is so amazing and relatable to today! These verses, however stood out to me as very convicting. What sets us Christians apart from other people is the way we treat EVERYONE. Jesus is right- we can’t just love those who are easy to love. Jesus calls us to love those who are hard to love. He calls us to love those who don’t love us- those who persecute us, those who make us angry, etc etc. Its definitely tough, especially because our human nature resorts to anger and other emotions. But it is possible, and the only way we can truly love our neighbors is through Jesus and Jesus only.
Rachel, Chronicles can be tough to sift through, but just keep this in mind while you’re reading- this is our history. It’s the story of how God uses broken people for good. Look for qualities of Gods character. Today’s reading highlighted his faithfulness- faithfulness in making David King just as he promised. A lot of the Old Testament shows Gods as a just God, unwavering in his call to holiness. But yet not unforgiving to those who seek him.
i also find it hard to understand, i dont feel like im getting anything out of it. i just feel like im reading random names. but i do see many qualities of God shown through chronicles.
1 Chron 10:13-14 “So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord … He did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death”. He DIED because he didn’t follow God. He died.
Once read that the concept of “turning the other cheek” not only deals with asking for the same pain, but worse– considering the person first slapped with their palm means that turning the other cheek, they would slap you with their knuckles. God not only asks us to humbly offer ourselves, but more than that!
I love the building imagery God uses throughout the bible! Jesus says that the man who listens and practices what he preaches is a man who builds his house on rock, he will not be shaken!
Luke 6:49 well… Encouraging and scary when you think of parenting. Lord please guide my children and children’s children steps towards you. Honor the heart that I have in what I have taught them. Make all my failures a blessing unto you.
I was really interested in how my bible notes summed up 1Chron 12:16-18 and David’s interaction with the men (strangers to him) approach- he doesn’t jump to conclusion when he faces an unfamiliar and potentially explosive situation. He trusts God for protection, exercise his common sense, and asks questions. His 3-step approach has much to recommend to us as we also face potentially explosive situations!
I love that the story of David begins to be summed up in these passages!!
Wasn’t it so interesting that God called David prince in this moments instead of King??
2 In times past, even when Saul was king, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over my people Israel.’”
Then I love how the Lord establishes the strength of David’s kingdom!
The army was like the army of God!
22 For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God.
David had a singleness of purpose!!
33 Of Zebulun 50,000 seasoned troops, equipped for battle with all the weapons of war, to help David with singleness of purpose.
The people were unified in mind to make David King!!
38 All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with a whole heart to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king.
There was celebration and joy in Israel as David was established!! So much good news. :)
40 And also their relatives, from as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, came bringing food on donkeys and on camels and on mules and on oxen, abundant provisions of flour, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, and wine and oil, oxen and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.
V40 also shows us that where God calls us, He will provide!!! Making a way and also provisions like food and people in place to carry out His will. He will never leave it all on us or leave us alone!
Be merciful as your father is merciful
♡
❤️
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.
❤️
38give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
31And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
✅
What really struck me was, “if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.” It is so easy to be comfortable in our relationships and seek relationships that will be easy and fun to maintain. But that isn’t what we are called to do. I want to push myself to love those who may not love me back or may be hard to love, because that’s what Jesus did.
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. -ellie
Reading this in the Message version gives me a fresh perspective.
Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. May this truth be used to reveal to us what we need to repent of, and reveal to others the glories of our salvation in the Lord.
Amazing! Faithfulness has its rewards!!
God calls us to be faithful in him and nothing else! Luke 6 has shown me that we must seek God in order to not judge, bear good fruit, and have a firm foundation!
I love reading the history of Chronicles. It helps me to remember that these two books were written after the exile, after Israel and Judah had fallen into the enemies hands, after they had lost the temple and so much of their inheritance. These books were their history, the story of who they were and where they’d come from. But more than that, it was the story of God’s faithfulness in spite of their faithlessness.
In many ways, it mirrors 1 and 2 Kings, but there aren’t as many stories of the bad kings here. It was like these were the good memories. Everyone knew their failings, but maybe it was harder to remember the good things, the blessings and the promises of God.
I think that’s why there are all those lists in the first several chapters. I imagine families returning from exile to the broken city of Jerusalem, and searching through Chronicles for their names, the names of their ancestors. To know that you had a history, a lineage that was written down. After all, for many of these folks, they’d been exiles for 70 years. For the tribes of Israel, they’d been gone for even longer than that. To find your family listed…wow, that must have been healing. You still belonged to Israel. You hadn’t been cut off just because you’d sinned.
And how amazing it is knowing our names are written in the Book of Life. Never to be erased. Hallelujah! We have not been cut off, but belong to God by the blood of Jesus!
This is powerful! I was struggling to appreciate Chronicles! These posts really helped!
It was no accident that we read Luke 6:27-49 on the same day as the tragedy in Orlando. God knew. God sees, God hears, God knows, God is faithful. God is here.
I’m reminded today that we are not here on this earth to judge or condemn others for their sins because when it comes down to it were all sinners. We are to live by doing to others what we would want for ourselves and the word of God is to serve as the foundation of our lives. As Jesus says it’s easy to do this and to show love and do good to those who do the same for us, but the challenge comes with doing the same for our enemies. Showing love to everyone without expecting anything in return is like taking the narrow gate that Jesus talks about in Matt 7:13-14 – showing mercy, generosity, forgiveness to everyone, especially to those who’ve wronged us, can be difficult, therefore few people take this path. But if we walk thru the narrow gate by choosing love and compassion in all circumstances and put gods word into practice, it will lead to life and we will be rewarded greatly, just as Jesus tells the people in 6:35
Luke 6:32-33 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.”
Jesus’ wisdom throughout all of Luke is so amazing and relatable to today! These verses, however stood out to me as very convicting. What sets us Christians apart from other people is the way we treat EVERYONE. Jesus is right- we can’t just love those who are easy to love. Jesus calls us to love those who are hard to love. He calls us to love those who don’t love us- those who persecute us, those who make us angry, etc etc. Its definitely tough, especially because our human nature resorts to anger and other emotions. But it is possible, and the only way we can truly love our neighbors is through Jesus and Jesus only.
Rachel, I am also finding the Chronicles hard to follow. :(
What is everyone getting out of chronicles? I’m struggling to find any message and find myself skimming
Rachel, Chronicles can be tough to sift through, but just keep this in mind while you’re reading- this is our history. It’s the story of how God uses broken people for good. Look for qualities of Gods character. Today’s reading highlighted his faithfulness- faithfulness in making David King just as he promised. A lot of the Old Testament shows Gods as a just God, unwavering in his call to holiness. But yet not unforgiving to those who seek him.
i also find it hard to understand, i dont feel like im getting anything out of it. i just feel like im reading random names. but i do see many qualities of God shown through chronicles.
1 Chron 10:13-14 “So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord … He did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death”. He DIED because he didn’t follow God. He died.
Once read that the concept of “turning the other cheek” not only deals with asking for the same pain, but worse– considering the person first slapped with their palm means that turning the other cheek, they would slap you with their knuckles. God not only asks us to humbly offer ourselves, but more than that!
I love the building imagery God uses throughout the bible! Jesus says that the man who listens and practices what he preaches is a man who builds his house on rock, he will not be shaken!
Luke 6:49 well… Encouraging and scary when you think of parenting. Lord please guide my children and children’s children steps towards you. Honor the heart that I have in what I have taught them. Make all my failures a blessing unto you.
Yes! “Make all my failures a blessing unto You”, knowing all my shortcomings will lead me to a complete and utter dependence on You.
I was really interested in how my bible notes summed up 1Chron 12:16-18 and David’s interaction with the men (strangers to him) approach- he doesn’t jump to conclusion when he faces an unfamiliar and potentially explosive situation. He trusts God for protection, exercise his common sense, and asks questions. His 3-step approach has much to recommend to us as we also face potentially explosive situations!
Love that!
I love that the story of David begins to be summed up in these passages!!
Wasn’t it so interesting that God called David prince in this moments instead of King??
2 In times past, even when Saul was king, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over my people Israel.’”
Then I love how the Lord establishes the strength of David’s kingdom!
The army was like the army of God!
22 For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God.
David had a singleness of purpose!!
33 Of Zebulun 50,000 seasoned troops, equipped for battle with all the weapons of war, to help David with singleness of purpose.
The people were unified in mind to make David King!!
38 All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with a whole heart to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king.
There was celebration and joy in Israel as David was established!! So much good news. :)
40 And also their relatives, from as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, came bringing food on donkeys and on camels and on mules and on oxen, abundant provisions of flour, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, and wine and oil, oxen and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.
V40 also shows us that where God calls us, He will provide!!! Making a way and also provisions like food and people in place to carry out His will. He will never leave it all on us or leave us alone!
I love what Jesus said; there are so many lessons to put into practice.