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Abnormal Lifestyle

Henry Omotayo

Luke 6:27-30

Message No. 0714 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca


Everyone has a way he or she lives, and notwithstanding how introverted you are, you will have a few friends that you associate with. When possible, we visit our friends, we chat and laugh, and we call and text as necessary. Each person is different in doing things and some people are better than others at keeping relationships, but there are some actions that we consider normal. For instance, if one party helps their friends, it is expected that when the party needs help, their friends will be there for them also. In business environments, the term ‘You owe me one’ or ‘I owe you one’ is commonly used, meaning you have assisted me this time and I will not hesitate to do the same for you when you need help.


For centuries, societal behaviors have been shaped by what we consider as norms. These are traits that we consider to be typical and are expected from each person in the society. When a person’s behavior falls sharply outside these norms, such a person may be ostracized by the society, and may be avoided by friends. It is no wonder that when Jesus preached behaviors that were considered abnormal in His days, there would have been surprises and pushbacks. Look at what He preached in Luke 6:27-30:


"But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.


Some people would scream What! This Guy must be crazy. Where are all these anticlockwise ideas coming from? In which world can I continue to love those who hate me and despise me? I will hate them back with the same hatred they have for me. How can you even suggest that I should bless the people who curse me? Before they finish speaking, I will already be shouting ‘Back to sender!’ And how could you say that if someone takes away my goods, I should not ask them back? I will surely expect them to bring the goods back, because I will need these goods someday.


All of the foregoing would have been normal before we gave our lives to Christ. But we were worse offenders before we got saved. We were lost in our sins, deserving no redemption, but for our loving God. If everyone is expected to pay back for his or her sins, we would all be completely miserable and without hope. The Bible says if the Lord should mark iniquities, who could stand? (Psalm 130:3). We all hurt God, but instead of killing us, He sent His only Son to die for us and to pay for our sins and all our misbehaviors.


So, all that Jesus is asking us to do is to be different. He is asking that our motives for doing things should be different. If we continue to act in accordance with the transactional norms of the world, how different are we from them? In verses 32-34 of Luke 6, Jesus further taught:


"But if you love those who love you, what credit 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 credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 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.


We cannot continue to live the ‘normal’ life of sinners and yet claim that we are children of God. It is the love we show to those who hate us that makes people come to Christ, because they see that our disposition to life is weird. They want to know how we are able to stomach the insults we receive from other people and how we are able to pray for them and wish them well, instead of cursing them. They may see us as rebels because we rebel against un-Christlike societal norms, but when they think deeper, they see that there’s something we have that they don’t have.


As Christians, we are not called to conform to societal norms. We are called to come out of them. We are called to be separate. We are called to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation. We are called to be a special people. We are called to follow the constitution of God, to imbibe God’s own norms. We are called to proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. So, is your lifestyle still normal?


PLEASE ACT NOW:

If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:

Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!

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