I love the brotherhood (1 Peter 2:17), the saints who are in the land are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight (Psalm 16:3). It is easy to love those who love me. May the Lord cause us all to increase and abound in love for one another, and for everyone else (1 Thessalonians 3:12). But Your Word specifically says: Love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me (Matthew 5:44).
O Lord God, please send Your Holy Spirit to teach me how to love my enemies – to be kind and to do good in every situation; to lend expecting nothing in return; to consider nothing as lost, and to despair of no one. Then my reward will be great – rich, strong, intense, and abundant – and I will be a true child of Yours; for You are kind and charitable and good to the ungrateful and selfish and wicked (Luke 6:35). Merciful Father, teach me to be merciful – sympathetic, tender, responsive, and compassionate. I aim to be an imitator of You, my loving Father (Luke 6:36).
Father, for Your sake I bless and pray for those who persecute me – who are cruel in their attitude toward me. I speak Your blessings on them, and I do not curse them (Romans 12:14). I know that if I do this, my love will abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment (Philippians 1:9). With Your Spirit guiding me, Father, I will let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love others; for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled Your law. All Your commandments are summed up in this one rule: Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of Your law (Romans 13:8-10).
We are called to be free, but not to use that freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather we use it to serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: Love your neighbor as yourself (Galatians 5:13-14). And the goal of Your command is love, which comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith (1 Timothy 1:5).
May Your Spirit help me to set an example for other believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity (1 Timothy 4:12). By speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is our Head… the growth of the Body for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:15-16). I know that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1). Teach me to love Lord. Teach me to be completely humble and gentle; to be patient, to show forbearance to others in love (Ephesians 4:2). I will make every effort to keep the unity of Your Spirit with all men through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).
God's Word on That 