Manna for Your Morning

“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. — Luke 6:27-30 (MSG) The way the world lives is contrary to the way Jesus instructs us to live. As disciples of Christ, let us live generously. Generosity begets generosity. Let the love, kindness and generosity of God bring about love, kindness and generosity in you. Living in this manner, we can be instruments of change of in this world.

“I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. — Matthew 5:44-45 (MSG) A lawyer, asked Jesus a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” (Matthew 22:35-39 NKJV) Before we are able to love our spouse, our neighbors or our enemies we must love God. The love of God in our hearts gives us the ability to love others, the way our heavenly Father loves us. May the Lord make your lo...