Tuesday after the Ninth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on July 30, 2024 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 6:32-36 (NKJV)
6:32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”
Devotion
We understand from a very young age that there are things that people deserve, and that actions have consequences. We learn to expect to be treated well when we treat other people well, and not to be treated well if we do not. These things are still true, but in this passage our Lord teaches us that we should do more, and be more generous than the world might expect us to be. It is relatively easy for us to love those who love us. It is much harder to love those who do not. Even the world understands that this is how things work.
Here, our Lord teaches that we should love our enemies, do good to those who do harm to us, and lend even when we know we will not be paid back. Why should we do this? Because if God the Father had treated us as our sins deserve, we would have no hope of salvation. But God the Father loved us enough to send His Son into the world to die for the sins of all mankind, and in doing so, showed Himself to be ever merciful. If He could show mercy in this way to us, we too can show mercy to our fellow men in purely secular matters as well.
Collect: Let Thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of Thy humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please Thee; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
