Good morning people who are learning to love like Jesus loves us

Matthew 5:43-47 MSG You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives His best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

I’ve struggled to forgive people in the past. At the time, I thought I was protecting myself. The truth was, I was hurting myself…and I was hurting those around me because of the negativity that flowed from me.

Unforgiveness always poisons us and it always poisons others.

Rather than lash out at others, Jesus tells us to look up and talk to God about our situation. And then He takes it a step further. He tells us to pray ‘for’ those who do us wrong. Naturally speaking, this feels like it is in the realm of ‘impossibility’, but with Christ, it is possible…and it is necessary.

“Is there someone that Father wants you to not only forgive today, but also to pray for and do them good?”