You
have heard the law that says, 'Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. But I
say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will
be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight
to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust
alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even
corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how
are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be
perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48
Rain clouds just before a gigantic storm.
It rained on everyone.
Meditate.
Read God’s word and listen to what He is saying.
How
are different from anyone else? Are
you kind to everyone you meet? Do you love only those who love you? Jesus
taught that we are to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Are you
fulfilling those commands if you aren’t loving your enemy?
God
gives sunshine and rain to everyone. He doesn’t show partiality. We can be
scorched by the intense sun or we can be chilled by the monsoon-type rain
shower—both can happen in a single day. Are your words and encouragement to
others like sunshine or pelting rain? We have a choice
moment by moment throughout the days, weeks, and months of life—to address and
treat others rudely or kindly—to treat them like Jesus would if he were still here.
Better yet, treat each person as if they were Jesus. I discovered that attitude
approach to life when I was a young bride ironing my husband’s work shirts that
had to be starched and pressed each day. I found myself resenting having to
iron his shirts, until I realized that ironing those for my hubby was the same
as doing it for Jesus. That made it a task worthy of my attention. In the last
few days or weeks, what actions, thoughts, or spoken words towards others were
worthy of being done for Jesus? Are you striving for perfection, holiness, like
Jesus? How are you any different from anyone else?
Prayer
– Lord Jesus, make me aware of how I am treating others. It’s a wicked world out
there…but we can choose…how we treat…and how we react to others. You said that we
are to love God and love others as ourselves. That basically boils down all the
Ten Commandments to two commands. Thank you for Your guidance and wisdom in dealing
with instructions for our lives.
Verse
of Salvation ~ God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to
bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make
Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their
salvation. Hebrews
2:10
© 2025 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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