“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48 NIV)
As I sit quietly and contemplate the depth of love from the brush of a child artist expressing her love for an invalid doggie only days away from death;
I ask myself am I coloring and painting to closely inside the drawn lines?
“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
“Be Perfect as Our Heavenly Father is perfect!” The enemy pierced the side of his son as He hung on a cross and water and blood were poured out for ALL. Did blood drops cover His enemies as well as family and friends?
I reflected on my art of love I’m afraid I may like to stay within my lines of just family and friends that I love! It’s a bit messy outside the lines don’t you think? I wonder what it would mean if Jesus had made his decision to stay in heaven with his father and the heavenly host and their nice neat family lines of separation from his enemies?
thedailylily.com 
The touching art of the heart by the child really does give a depth of meaning to the words of Jesus, “And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 18:3
You asked, Sara, “Did blood drops cover His enemies as well as family and friends?” I would say, yes, as I think on so many examples in the Bible of those that mistreated Jesus; railed against Him; left Him; even claimed he was demon-possessed (John 8:48). Yet, as you said in your last blog, Sara, “Passion and Compassion”, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:17 NKJV)”. He even healed the ear of the servant of the high priest (one of His enemies who came to arrest Him shortly before He was crucified.)
“I wonder what it would mean if Jesus had made his decision to stay in heaven with his father and the heavenly host and their nice neat family lines of separation from his enemies?”
Well, one thing is for sure…that would have meant eternal hell for me…and many others.
This verse came to mi d as I read this beautiful blog: “Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all yourstrength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor asyourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
I believe we can sure learn some things from a child, and the expression of love this little four year old showed with her drawing is surely an example of it.❤️
Debi and Tammy, precious to invite this kind of love into our lives and to embrace and immerse into our being so it flows freely to all that need to know they, too, by divine Grace can not only feel the touch of the Masters Hand but share His touch!
I often heard, “life is a celebration of the soul.”
“Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.”
—Ephesians 4:1-2 (NRSVUE)
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Sara, your words, “precious to invite this kind of love into our lives and to embrace and immerse into our being so it flows freely to all that need to know they, too, by divine Grace can not only feel the touch of the Masters Hand but share His touch!” reminded me of ‘lesson’ you wrote and taught many years ago titled, “Earthen Vessels”.
It was a ‘mid-term exam’ in Lesson 7 of your book, “Dressing for His Glory”. In it you shared a poem by an unknown author called, “Earthen Vessels”. I think it goes right along with your words, this blog, and the song you shared on God’s love.
“The Master stood in His garden,
Among the lilies fair,
Which His own right hand had planted,
And trained with tend’rest care.
He looked at their snowy blossom,
And marked with observant eye
That the flowers were sadly drooping,
For their leaves were parched and dry.
“My lilies need to be watered,”
The Heavenly Master said;
“Wherein shall I draw it for them,
And raise each drooping head?”
Close to His feet on the pathway,
Empty, and frail, and small,
An earthen vessel was lying,
Which seemed no use at all;
But the Master saw, and raised it
From the dust in which it lay,
And smiled, as He gently whispered,
“This shall do My work today.”
“It is but an ‘earthen’ vessel,
But it lay so close to Me;
It is small, but it is empty-
That is all it needs to be.”
So to the fountain He took it,
And filled it full to the brim;
How glad was the earthen vessel
To be of some use to Him!
He poured forth the living water
Over His lilies fair,
Until the vessel was empty,
And again He filled it there.
He watered the drooping lilies
Until they revived again;
And the Master saw with pleasure.
That His labor had not been vain.
His own hand had drawn the water
Which refreshed the thirsty flowers;
But He used the earthen vessel
To convey the living showers.
And to itself it whispered,
As He laid it aside once more,
“Still will I lie in His pathway,
Just where I did before.
“Close would I keep to the Master,
Empty would I remain,
And perhaps some day He may use me
To water His flowers again.”