Our scripture this week is Matthew 5:43-48.
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Matthew 5:44-45
Jesus has an important lesson for us in these verses – if we want to be the children of God, we must follow His guidance, loving all people, not just those who love us. While this may be hard to hear and harder to do, Jesus explains that God treats all people the same, and expects us to do so as well.
God’s creation is given to everyone and we are all part of that creation. In that sense, God has given us to each other. We are expected to nurture and protect everything God has given us, to be good stewards of His gifts and we sometimes forget that charge applies to caring for all of His people.
Jesus knows that some people are harder to love than others, but there is no exception to the command He gives us to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”. We don’t get to choose to love some and hate others. All people are loved by God and He calls us to love them as He does.
Wise and wonderful God, You have made all things and given us a duty to Your creation. Help us to see others as You do and love them because You first loved us. Amen.