Luke 6:35 No Expectations

But 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 Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

Observation
Jesus is speaking at the sermon on the mount. Thousands of people have gathered to hear Him. In the sermon on the mount, best seen in Matthew 5-7, Jesus describes "Kingdom" culture. Kingdom culture is different than the world, I would dare say the exact opposite of the world. This specific scripture instructs us how to handle those who hate us, who don't love us, those who are mean and cruel to us. This "kingdom" reaction fights against our natural instincts. Our natural instinct is reject those who reject us, seek retribution from those who have hurt us, etc. But when we fight against our natural instincts and cling to the Holy Spirit within us (Galations 5:16 walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh) we receive power from the Holy Spirit to respond to persecution with mercy, grace, and love. Moreover, when we respond like God Himself responds to those who hate Him, we are promised a great reward and told that this behavior is part of our identity in Christ.

Application
It is very easy to be good to those who love you and to whom you receive much from, but what about those who don't? This is certainly something I struggle with daily, especially in ministry. People are messy, since I'm people that includes me. When you pour your heart out for people it is difficult not to expect something in return. For me, the expectation usually includes appreciation for what has been given. But what if I get rejection and criticism instead? I wish I could say that I love them through it, but the truth is there is a war that rages inside me. My thoughts battle back and forth from condemnation over myself that I should have done better, to condemnation of them because of their unrealistic expectations of me.....PAINFUL!
Yesterday evening I was praying through a situation just like this. After fighting my initial response to be offended, I finally fell asleep in peace. But this morning when I woke up I could feel the cloud of anger rolling in and I began to pray. This word is SO ON TIME!

Prayer
Thank You Lord for hearing my prayers and bringing Your truth in this battle of the mind. Please continue to mold me so that my instinct eventually becomes one of love and mercy and not offense and anger.