sermon on love

In my Bible reading this morning, Jesus gave a sermon on love (Luke 6:27-38) :

"Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 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. But love you 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. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you."

This is, to me, the most difficult set of instructions in the entire Bible. To forgive, do good to, and LOVE someone who has hurt me so badly that I consider him or her to be an enemy? Seriously? But it's right there in Jesus' own words, so He really does expect me to do it. As a sinful, selfish, hurting human being, I cannot follow these instructions and honestly don't even want to. But as a born again believer in Jesus Christ, as a Holy Spirit-filled Christ follower, I CAN do all things -- even this -- through Christ who gives me strength. (This is my pep talk, by the way -- it's so easy to say, even easy to believe when I'm sitting in a room with just me, God, my Bible, and computer -- much more difficult to practice when I walk out of this room and have to deal with the reality of my life.)