Matthew 5: Love your enemies

Matthew 5 starts Jesus' sermon on the mount and of all the content here in this chapter the section on loving your enemies struck me this morning. It seems in almost everything we come across these days there is a good side and a bad side. In sports we're told that there are good teams and there are bad teams. In politics we are told that one side is better than the other. We see it in movies where the good guys always win. Of course, we see it in our every day lives when that person cuts us off or when someone hurts us. How do we respond when we feel wronged? Jesus calls us to pray for our enemies; love them (ver: 43-48). I think when we pray for our enemies the Holy Spirit begins to work in us. Our hearts begin to soften and we begin to have a passion for that person's soul. We begin to see the person and not just the ways that they've wronged us.

Lord, give me the strength and courage to pray for my enemies. Soften my heart for their soul and help me to see them as you do...