Keep That Same Energy | Relationship Expert | The Block Church

Devotional

Day 1: When Mercy for Me, Judgment for Thee

The human heart often demands strict accountability from others while pleading for leniency in its own failures. This tension reveals our hypocrisy, where we police others’ choices yet expect grace for our indulgences. Jesus confronts this double standard, calling believers to apply the same measure of compassion they hope to receive. True discipleship requires examining where we withhold mercy yet feel entitled to it, especially in relationships where power dynamics or personal preferences blind us to our shared need for grace. [01:12]

“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, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you demand accountability from others but seek mercy for yourself? How might applying “the same energy” to both transform a strained relationship?

Day 2: Praying for the Hands That Throw Stones

Jesus’ command to “pray for those who persecute you” dismantles the myth that love is reserved for the deserving. Prayer becomes the bridge between resentment and redemption, softening hearts toward those who cause harm. This isn’t passive approval but active warfare against bitterness, inviting God to intervene where human effort fails. To pray for an enemy is to surrender the right to revenge and trust heaven’s justice. [14:22]

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43–44, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last pray for someone who wronged you? What would it look like to intercede for them this week instead of rehearsing their faults?

Day 3: Oil, Wine, and Inconvenient Compassion

The Good Samaritan’s love cost him time, money, and safety—a stark contrast to the religious leaders who prioritized duty over mercy. True neighborliness interrupts schedules to bind wounds, choosing messy engagement over clean indifference. Jesus redefines “neighbor” as anyone whose need intersects with our capacity to act, especially when helping them requires personal sacrifice. [25:34]

“But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.” (Luke 10:33–34, ESV)

Reflection: Whose “beaten-up” state have you ignored to protect your comfort? What tangible step can you take to move toward them with oil and wine?

Day 4: Agape’s Audacity: Loving the Unlovable on Purpose

Agape love isn’t a warm feeling but a defiant choice to seek God’s best for someone despite their actions. It mirrors Christ’s forgiveness toward His executioners, rejecting transactional relationships. This love thrives not in reciprocity but in obedience, trusting that God repays what others exploit. It’s the “kingdom energy” that disarms hatred through radical grace. [17:51]

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8, ESV)

Reflection: Who feels impossible to love right now? How might choosing agape—desiring God’s best for them—shift your heart’s posture?

Day 5: When Sunlight and Rain Don’t Play Favorites

God’s common grace—like rain and sun—blesses saints and rebels alike, reminding us that mercy isn’t earned. His patience with the unjust invites us to trust His timing in judgment while imitating His generosity. Our call isn’t to police who “deserves” blessings but to reflect His impartial love, even when it defies human fairness. [31:25]

“For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you resent God’s kindness to someone who’s hurt you? How might releasing that bitterness free you to embrace His sovereign grace?

Sermon Summary

The budget contrast between nail appointments and tee times sets up the whole issue: judgment feels easy when another person’s habits are in the spotlight, but mercy suddenly sounds holy when the spotlight turns. The call to “keep that same energy” presses believers beyond selective strictness and into the hard Jesus stuff of loving Christian brothers and sisters, enemies, neighbors, coworkers, and the people who just drive them crazy.

Jesus raises the bar in Luke 6 by refusing to give credit for love that only loves back. Even sinners do that much. Jesus calls for love toward enemies, good done to haters, generosity without repayment, and compassion that looks like the Father, who is kind to the unthankful and wicked. The reward from heaven belongs to the deep stuff, the hard stuff, the stuff that creates tension in the flesh.

Matthew 5 takes that even further. Jesus is not forbidding self defense or the restraint of evil through courts and authority, but he is confronting insult, ego, and pride. The backhand slap on the cheek was not a knockout punch. It was humiliation. Jesus calls the disciple to stop letting ego run relationships, to know when to turn the cheek, and to trust God as vindicator.

Jesus also refuses to function as a personal life coach handing out breakthrough vibes. Christ disrupts the heart, arrests old ways of thinking, and transforms hatred into the capacity to offer grace where grace feels undeserved. Agape is not warm feelings in the stomach. Agape is a decision in the spirit: desiring God’s best for someone even while that person is throwing rocks.

The Good Samaritan exposes the loophole-hunting heart. The religious expert asks, “Who is my neighbor?” because he wants a cutoff line. Jesus flips the question and shows that the real issue is not “How little can I do?” but “How much can I love?” The priest and Levite pass by because love would cost time, money, safety, and convenience. The despised Samaritan stops, bandages wounds, pays the bill, and becomes the neighbor through mercy.

The call to love enemies gets practical through prayer, forgiveness, and compassion. The person who stirs offense, irritation, bitterness, or ill will may be the exact person the Holy Spirit is highlighting. God sends sunlight and rain on the just and unjust, and justice finally belongs to the Lord. The disciple’s job is to love, forgive, listen to the Spirit, and learn when to act and when to simply turn the other cheek.

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Key Takeaways

1. Selective judgment exposes divided mercy The contrast between enforcing another person’s budget and defending personal tee times reveals how quickly the flesh changes standards. The disciple often wants justice for others and understanding for self, which means the heart needs more than better rules. Christ exposes that double standard so mercy stops being a privilege reserved for personal weakness. [01:12]
2. Enemy love is kingdom energy Agape is not the same as liking someone, approving evil, or pretending harm did not happen. Agape chooses God’s best for the person who has become painful, hostile, or wrong, because God loved sinners while they were still enemies. Such love cannot be manufactured by personality or willpower; it is the energy of the cross working through a surrendered life. [17:51]
3. Ego must not run relationships The slap on the cheek names insult, humiliation, and wounded pride more than physical danger. Jesus calls the disciple to discern when protection is necessary and when ego simply wants to swing back with interest. Turning the cheek becomes an act of freedom when God, not personal vindication, becomes the defender. [09:30]
4. Neighbor love costs real inconvenience The Samaritan’s mercy required interruption, risk, transportation, money, and follow-up care. Convenient love passed by on the other side, but Jesus’ love stopped long enough to become responsible. The true question is not how small the obligation can be, but how much mercy can be shown when need is visible and help is possible. [25:34]
5. Justice belongs to the Lord God gives sunlight and rain to the just and unjust, which means visible blessing is not always immediate proof of innocence or approval. The disciple can release revenge because final justice is not fragile, rushed, or dependent on personal retaliation. Forgiveness does not deny wrong, but it refuses to let resentment become the prison that controls the heart.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:12] - Keep That Same Energy
[03:33] - Three Hard Groups to Love
[04:09] - Jesus Calls for Enemy Love
[06:07] - Matthew 5 Raises the Bar
[07:19] - Turning the Cheek Clarified
[11:03] - Jesus Is Not a Life Coach
[13:52] - Pray for Persecutors
[15:31] - Neighbor Love Without Loopholes
[17:14] - Agape Is a Spirit Decision
[21:22] - The Good Samaritan Question
[28:55] - Naming the Real Neighbor
[30:46] - Pray, Forgive, Show Compassion
[31:25] - Sunlight, Rain, and Justice
[33:21] - Letting God Handle Enemies

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 6:27-36
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 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.” [04:26]

Matthew 5:38-48
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” [13:58]

Luke 10:25-37
“And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’ And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.’ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You go, and do likewise.’” [21:22]

Observation questions

In Luke 6, what specific actions does Jesus command toward enemies, haters, and people who mistreat others?
In Matthew 5, what examples does Jesus give after saying not to resist an evil person, and what do those examples have in common? [06:58]
In the Good Samaritan story, what did the priest and Levite do, and what did the Samaritan do differently? [23:32]
What are some of the kinds of people named as hard to love: not just enemies, but also people in everyday proximity? [03:33]

Interpretation questions

Jesus says loving people who love back is something even sinners do. What does that reveal about the difference between ordinary human love and kingdom love? [04:26]
The slap on the cheek is described as an insult more than a physical attack. How does that help explain what Jesus is confronting in Matthew 5, especially around pride, ego, and the need to get even? [09:30]
The lawyer asked, “Who is my neighbor?” because he wanted a cutoff line. Why does Jesus answer by shifting the focus from identifying the right person to becoming the kind of person who shows mercy? [27:12]
Jesus commands love for enemies and prayer for persecutors. How can that command still make sense without approving evil or pretending that wrong did not happen? [16:05]

Application questions

Where is there a double standard right now: a place where strictness comes easily toward someone else, but mercy feels necessary for self? What might it look like to keep the same energy in both directions? [01:12]
Who currently stirs up offense, irritation, bitterness, or ill will? Could that be the very person the Holy Spirit is bringing into view for prayer and surrender? [29:36]
Jesus calls His people to pray for those who persecute them. What would it look like this week to pray honestly and consistently for a difficult boss, coworker, neighbor, church member, or family situation? [14:24]
Agape is a decision in the spirit, not just a feeling in the stomach. In one strained relationship, what would desiring God’s best for that person actually look like right now? [17:43]
Not everything needs to be defended. In which relationship does ego most quickly rise up and demand a response? What might it look like to let God be the defender there? [09:49]
Neighbor love costs time, money, comfort, and convenience. Who nearby has a visible need that could be helped, even if helping would interrupt the schedule or cost something? [25:28]
Forgiveness frees the heart from the prison of resentment. Is there a situation where forgiveness has been delayed because justice feels unfinished? What would it look like to release revenge to the Lord without denying that the wrong was real? [30:56]

Sermon Clips

54s

#ChooseAgape

“``When Jesus says love our enemies, he doesn't use the word listen. He doesn't use the word phileo, which is brotherly love, which is what our city was named after. He's not telling you to be best friends with them, go get coffee with people, or pretend like just like their post on Instagram because you feel bad. He's not saying that you have to do that with every single person. What what you don't have to like what people do to you, but the word that Jesus is using is agape. Agape love isn't a feeling in your stomach. It's a decision in your spirit. Listen. It means I choose to desire God's best for you even while you're throwing rocks at me.”

42s

#LoveWithoutLimits

“Jesus flips the religious expert's question. The religious expert is looking for a loophole, looking for justification, looking for a way out. And Jesus says, the lawyer, the expert, the religious leader says, who is my neighbor? In other words, what he's trying to say is, how little can I do? And Jesus asks, who proved to be the neighbor? The real question is is not how little can I do? The real question is how much can I love?”

69s

#TurnTheCheek

“But in the first culture in to the first century culture, hitting someone on the right cheek meant using the back of the hand. It wasn't a knockout punch. It was an insult slap. It was meant to humiliate you. So when someone insults our pride, our flesh immediately wants to give back what we received plus interest. And what Jesus is saying if you get slapped on the back of the hand in the cheek, what he is saying is is no. Bear this insult. Turn the cheek. Stop letting your ego run your relationships. Let God be your defender. other words, not everything needs to be defended. It's an art. You have to be spirit led. You have to know when to turn the cheek, and you have to know when to protect your family. And being slapped on the cheek in the first century, it might harm your ego, but it will produce humility. It will not harm your body.”

56s

#TrustGodsJustice

“You know, it was a reminder for me that justice is the Lord's. His will in time, God will handle your enemies his way. With with trouble and challenges from their bad seeds harvested, or if he chooses, blessing too. However, my job my job is to love and forgive and listen to the spirit. I'm not saying that some circumstances don't require your action, but sometimes the spirit just says, wait. Stop. Maybe you just need to turn the other cheek. Not every relationship or circumstance calls for reconciliation, but it does call for prayer and forgiveness.”

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Keep That Same Energy | Relationship Expert | The Block Church | Joey Furjanic