Friday, March 18, 2011

A Prayer for Friday, March 18, 2011

“Love Your Enemies”

What an honor it would be to look like our heavenly Father looks, to think and to act like our heavenly Father thinks and acts, and to treat people like our heavenly Father treats people.

According to Jesus, one way we do so is by loving and praying for everybody, including our enemies, because our heavenly Father sends blessings on everybody, including those who don’t want to relate to him or who stand in opposition to him.

O God, it will take a lot of intervention on your part—quite an infusion of grace, love, and mercy—for us to develop such a family resemblance. Please break our hearts open, if that’s what it takes, so that we can receive your gifts that will in turn compel us to share them—yes, even with, and even especially with, our enemies.

Amen.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemies.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43-45)

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