I am still considering and meditating on this scripture from Luke.

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

Thinking back to the days before I was a Christian at University of Connecticut I am newly in awe of how mercy and grace flow from God because HE is merciful and kind and compassionate and loving and is based on nothing within myself.

Let me give you an example from my life.

My husband and I were at University of Connecticut in Storrs, Ct. I guess it was in the winter of 1976/77 and my (now) husband, Dennis, was in my dorm room. We were studying… HA! We really were!!! There was a knock at my door and I opened it and two female students identified themselves as being from Campus Crusade and asked if they could come in and speak to us about Jesus. Dennis and I were NOT Christians and we kind of gave one another one of those knowing looks that people who have been together a while have between them. We decided to go ahead and let these girls from Crusade come in and speak to us. Dennis and I had silently agreed that we would give these girls a hard time.

AND WE DID! They shared the gospel. I don’t remember their exact words but I do remember ours. We used the Lord’s name in vain and told them what they could do with “their Jesus”. I know, HORRIBLE, right? I remember those girls gently leaving my room and told us they would be praying for us. I was SO insulted!!!!!!!!!!!!

I never saw these girls on campus again, we graduated , Dennis and I got married, had children and about 12 years later God caused me to be born again and I received Christ and a couple of years later so did my husband.

In those 12 years from graduating college to receiving Christ my husband and I continued to mock Christians. We would for fun tune into the Christian TV station and make fun of the people on the shows there.

Everytime we sing this one particular song at church I am reminded of the times that Dennis and I mocked Christians and mocked JESUS! Here are the lyrics to the song:

How Deep The Father's Love For Us lyrics
Stuart Townend
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Lyrics:
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom(REPEAT)

Link to 'How Deep The Father's Love For Us'

In particular, these lines describe myself: “Behold the Man upon the cross, My sin upon His shoulders. Ashamed I hear my mocking voice, call out among the scoffers.”

I DO hear my mocking voice ringing in my ears from that day at UCONN and subsequently as we watched Christians tv and mocked them… but by God’s amazing grace I do not hear condemnation in return… I hear the gospel! I hear that Jesus died for those very sins that I am so ashamed of!!! Jesus bore the wrath of God for MY sin of mocking HIM!!!! He became that sin FOR ME! wow!!

So, now you can better understand how grateful and amazed by grace I am when I read this scripture from Luke. Jesus was kind to the ungrateful and the evil! That is ME!! By God’s grace it is easier to love my enemies and pray for them when I remember my own sin.

I have so often wished that I could go back to those girls who came to my dorm room and ask for their forgiveness. I wish I could tell them that God heard their prayers!!! That God did indeed open up my heart and Dennis’s heart to the gospel! I wish I could tell them thank you for sharing the gospel! I wish I could encourage them and let them know now how grateful I am for their ministry.

THANK YOU UCONN CAMPUS CRUSADE!!!!!!!!!!!

I once was ungrateful and evil but received mercy and kindness from my Savior Jesus!!! Now, that is worth thinking about as I enter 2009!

Joyfully in love with Jesus,

Diane

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!