Never the Same

Luke 6:27-31 Familiar, but a few often avoided sentences. I have never been so challenged by something like this in a while.

"I tell you who hear me" Am I listening? Do I really want to hear what Jesus says? "Of course" I might answer, but really do I want to hear? What if I hear something I have not heard before? What if it does not make sense? What if it does?

"To you who are ready for the truth" Message Trans.
Am I READY for the truth? How do I know I am ready?
Am I ready for the TRUTH? My answer might be "It depends" or "maybe" or "what do you mean?"

"I say this." Msg. Is truth only in code or will Jesus say this only when I am ready for the truth?

Sometimes getting ready is tough. I have to go through some hard things until I say to Jesus "I am ready." We can try everything, go to every conference and read every book coming up without any real answers that get to the core of our issues and then Jesus quietly says "are you ready now?' Solutions only come in a relationship with Jesus where he speaks and I do not treat what he says as an option.

Then he says something like "Love your enemies." Great! Now my life gets challenging. This is hard to understand and even harder to do.

Who makes the boundaries as to what or who is included here? This is going to take a radical adjustment to my life to do this or anything Jesus says. Why does he have to say such things that turn my world upside down? Why do I have to really even question what he says? Why can't I just trust that whatever he says is right and if I do it, I will enter into a dimension of the Christian life unattainable any other way?

This is not a hypothetical few sentences I am sharing with you. I really am dealing with this one.