Christian Reflection and Prayer

How do you respond to those
who seek to hurt you?

"Love your enemies! Do good
to them! Lend to them! And
don't be concerned that they
might not repay. Then your
reward from heaven will be
very great, and you will truly
be acting as children of the
Most High, for he is kind to
the unthankful and to those
who are wicked! You must
be compassionate, just as
the Father is compassionate."
Luke 6:35-36 NLT

The sign of a loving heart

"Our enemies are out to hurt
us. They want to steal from
us, cheat us, and do evil
against us. Yet Jesus says
we are to be kind to them.
What is his point? We
reflect—or should reflect—
God to the world, and God
is kind—even to the unkind,
the ungrateful, and those
whom we consider to be
"hopeless" cases. Kindness
is based on the love we have
for others, not the love others
deserve.

Kindness is the sign of a
loving heart, one of the
greatest of all virtues. A kind
person is pleasant, good,
gracious—always appreciated.
There's a lot of talk these days
about "random acts of kindness.
" Maybe this is because we live
in a society starved for good
deeds. God is our model for
kindness. The kindest act ever
committed was God's sending
his own Son, Jesus, to die for
our sins so that we might live
forever in heaven. God also
showers us with kindness each
day, sending sunshine and rain,
food and friends, comfort and
encouragement, boundless
love and wisdom.

from the TouchPoint Bible
commentaries by Ron Beers
and Gilbert Beers (Tyndale)
pp 889, 1221-22