Key Text: Matthew 5:45 KJV - That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

To be like your heavenly Father, the Lord commands you to love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you. Remember that man was originally created in the image of God. Unfortunately, the power to overcome evil with good and all the virtues of godliness were lost as a result of the fall of man.

This level of love commanded by the Lord can only be reached by the new man - one that has been made free from the law of sin and death, by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. The Scribes and Pharisees did not understand this kind of love because they operated under the law of sin and death. Jesus, however, revealed the secret to Nicodemus when he visited Him at night: You must be born again.

But except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. If you are struggling with your identity as a child of God, there is the urgent need to revisit Calvary for restoration. And if you have never known the Lord, this is an opportunity to surrender your life to Him. He is willing to save all that will sincerely repent, confessing and forsaking their sins.

Prayer: Father, I thank you for the grace to love and do good to those who hate me, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Reflection: Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head - Romans 12:20.