#soap # Luke 06 ## Title: Right-Side-Up Kingdom ## Scripture: (Luke 6:27-32) “But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other as well, and from the person who takes away your coat, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your possessions back from the person who takes them away. Treat others in the same way that you would want them to treat you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. (NET) ## Observation: We can read Scriptures like today’s passage and think, “This sounds upside down from what seems like common sense.” Doesn’t it make sense to do the exact opposite? If someone is your enemy, you should want bad for them. If someone is demanding, you should resist them. We should love those who love us, and hate those who hate us. What Jesus says seems to be upside down. However, this is the way of the Kingdom. It is not Jesus who is upside down, it is us. Jesus came to take this upside down world, and turn it right-side-up again. We are to love people, serve people, and reach out to people because we are not of this world. We are from the Kingdom of God. We have been born again into a Heavenly Kingdom and are now seen as Children of God in the eyes of God. Therefore, we see the world for what it truly is. Our enemy is the devil. Everyone else is in various levels of brokenness. We can now see the way the King sees and it changes how we see everything else. ## Application: Think of everyone you meet today as someone with the capacity for good, but locked into an upside down world. This doesn’t mean we trust everyone. It DOES mean we serve with our eyes open. ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for seeing this possible goodness in all of us. Help us to pray for others to find it as well.