What's Eating Grandpa Anole? Part 1
Grandpa is acting really strange. One day he's really crabby, and the next day he's nice. What's going on?
Before You ListenLet's Get Started
Theme: How do I love my enemies?
1. Matthew 5:39 says, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you”. It's easy to love someone who loves you back. How can you show love to a person who is not nice to you or anyone else?"
2. In the book of Acts, Saul was a man who wanted to hurt the people who loved God. God changed his life and he became a Christian. Two of Jesus’ apostles, Ananias, Barnabas and other Christians were kind to Saul even though he had been more than unkind to Christians. You can read about Saul’s story in Acts 9:1-31. Think about the apostles’ courage to treat Paul with kindness as you listen to today’s program.
After you listen
Memory Verse
“‘You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you”
Quiz
A: Make a stew with Granny for Grandpa and help Grandpa with landscaping chores.
A: Grandpa seems to be acting in two different ways. Sometimes he is grumpy and sometimes he is nice.
Reflect
In this episode, Grandpa acts like two different people, and one is hard to love! It's easy to love someone who loves you back, someone who thinks like you do, or someone you like. But then there are the people you don't like; those you disagree with; those who have hurt you; people who just are not nice to you or to anyone else. What do you do with them? How do you treat them? You can have a variety of reactions to these people: you can get revenge, you can ignore them, you can despise them in your heart even while you are nice to them in person. You have lots of ways to get around Jesus' command to love them.
Loving your enemies means forgiveness even when it is undeserved. It means releasing a hurt . It means recognizing your enemies as fellow image bearers of God and treating them that way. This is a real challenge for many of us. It requires a humble spirit and a love for Christ that overrides the hurts you experience.
Want to dig deeper and learn more about being a community builder by loving your enemy? Read Matthew 5:43-45, Ephesians 4:32, and Luke 6:27
Challenge
This kind of spirit and love starts in our homes. When we practice humility and forgiveness there, it becomes a habit that blesses our interactions with people inside and outside the house—at work, school, and everywhere else. Do you demonstrate this toward your family? Is it a part of the family values that you practice everyday? Write down some things you love or admire about your family members. Say at least one of them outloud to each of them.
