I've often been chided for being "a saint" because I have never indulged in playing slot machines or any form of casino gambling. To me, there is nothing saintly about that practice because it's not my style and I am simply not interested.

In Luke 6:20-31, Jesus gives guidelines for what might be considered the making of a saint. Just when we are adjusting to loving our neighbors (those we know or don't know, those we do or don't care about, and those who do or don't share our values), Jesus tells us to love our enemies. And, as if he knew you and I would balk at such a request and ask rhetorically, "Who are my enemies?" He simply says, "Be good to everyone who hates you" (Luke 6:27b, CEV).

Everyone? Those who hate me? Is he serious? Can't I just stay away from them? No. Not if I profess to follow Christ. Jesus explains: "If you are kind only to someone who is kind to you, will God be pleased with you for that? Even sinners are kind to people who are kind to them" (Luke 6:33, CEV). Not only are we to love those we deem unlovable, but we are to give to those who cannot or will not return the favor! (Luke 6:29,30) This hits us where it hurts most-in our pockets. Truly the cost of discipleship is high. It is not a journey for the weak in spirit, nor the faint of heart. Jesus has just, in one short sermon, turned our world upside down. And, we tug feverishly at his sleeve telling him, "Lord, this is not the way it is supposed to work. For us to carry out this mandate, we have to have the patience of a...saint!"

Well, isn't that why Christ calls us? "God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us even though we were sinful" (Romans 5:8, CEV). He wants to change us from sinners into saints and so he calls us to a life of holiness. As Christians, we struggle daily with issues of discipleship. How do we follow the precepts of the Bible yet live out our day-to-day lives in a cut-throat world? How do we stay above the fray that tempts us to deliver the proverbial (or literal!) "eye for an eye"? We have to cling to the words of the Bible as spoken by the apostle Paul, "The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it is to know God" (Ephesians 1:17b, CEV)

How do we know God? And, what is it about knowing God that makes us different? Knowing God involves hearing, believing, and accepting God's Good News of salvation. When we truly know God, the Holy Spirit works in us so we need not feel constrained to ask God to bless those who curse us, but we do so willingly. When we know God, we know him with our hearts and we are willing to "shout praises to the LORD!" and to "sing him a new song of praise" (Psalm 149:1, CEV).

When God's Spirit works in us, we become new creatures in Christ; light will flood our hearts and we will understand the hope given to us when God chose us (Ephesians 1:18). As God goes about making saints, he chooses ordinary people and gives them extraordinary gifts "so his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong" (Ephesians 4:12, CEV).

As we continue in obedience to God's commands, we journey toward sainthood, a company of believers who honor God and bless his name. Are we perfect? No, but we strive to be kind, merciful, and forgiving as Jesus taught. And when we fail, we remind ourselves that if we confess our faults, "God can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away" (1 John 1:9b, CEV) as he seeks to make us saints.