Tuesday, December 10, 2024

1 Peter 2:18-25

1 Peter 2:18-25

  It's amazing how committed Christ is to us.  Despite having the power to escape painful torture and a gruesome death, he endured.  Such is the love that God has for us that even while we were still enemies of God, Christ pursued us at great cost to himself.  Hy his wounds, we're told, that we are healed.  
  So how do we embody that in the world?  
  Who are we willing to suffer for?  Jesus tells us that we ought to love others as we love ourselves, which sounds great, but is actually an impossible standard.  Imagine that every time you treat yourself, you find someone else, a stranger or friend, and do the same thing for them.  Imagine that every time you see someone, you think about what they deserve for all their hard work or the challenging path they've had to walk.  It's impossible to care for someone the same way we care for ourselves.  We do this for children, sacrificing much for them, but for strangers?  For enemies?  It's unthinkable.  And yet that is the challenge, and that is the example that Christ shows us.
  May we marvel at his love, and may it inspire us to care for others in this time and place, that our lives may be transformed by his sacrificial act.

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