expecting nothing

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 is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Luke 6:35-36

God is merciful to a world that ignores and rejects Him. He sent His Son, Jesus, into that world. And Jesus was rejected by an angry mob that crucified Him. God raised His Son from the dead, and left behind a church that believes and preaches eternal salvation and abundant living for any who would believe and follow Jesus. And that message is changing those who believe, even as it is increasingly scoffed and rejected in the world. God continues to show mercy so that some may come to Jesus. He asks us to be the same way.

I write these words on a Monday morning, the traditional start of a “work week” for most folks in my culture. I will soon dig into my daily agenda, start answering messages and working a plan for today and beyond to be what we often call “productive”. It is results-focused living. It looks for something to come from the effort. But now I must take as my first organizing thought this command from Jesus: “Be merciful... be merciful as God is merciful.”

Very practical concepts from Jesus are behind the call to be merciful like the Father. I must love enemies as Jesus loved them. He died for them. I must give away my time and my money, not lend it for gain. I must expect nothing in return for this commitment to be loving, good, and generous to those around me. I should expect them to provide no productive gain. I should rather expect to experience some rejection, ungratefulness, and perhaps even evil treatment in response to this. My reward is greater than what they can give me. It comes by being a son of God through Christ.

Doing these things, I will then know how God is treated in His mercy. And then my heart will be changed to be merciful as the Father is merciful. This will please the Father. And that is the finest result!