Matthew 5:44 (TLB) But I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
On the surface this verse looks like a strange directive. However, the fact is, God gives common grace this day to both those who love Him and those who oppose Him. He gives breath to the godly and the godless. He gives energy to those who curse Him and those who love Him. He does so because He is a God of grace. If we have been redeemed, born from above, God doesn’t call us to love only those who love us, but to love those who hate us and persecute us in any way. Obedience to this one directive gives proof of your relation to the Father. To sluff this off, is to sluff off the very person of Jesus Christ who spoke the words. God is revealed through our lives to a watching world by how much we love those who are against us and oppose us. Let Him be revealed today through your love for all.
