In Matthew 5:44 Jesus tells us to “love your enemies.”

It takes a very mature and self-controlled person to actually care about someone that he or she despises, his or her “enemy.”

Proverbs 24:17 also says, “Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble.” again, very difficult.

Proverbs 25:21-22, has a little different perspective on the effect of loving or being kind to our enemies, that is almost humorous. It says, “If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads and the Lord will reward you.”

The Bible is clear that we are not to seek revenge; God reserves that role. However, being nice to our enemies may allow us to get the same message to them but from a caring spirit, in the way God directs.

Dear Lord, thank you for the minds you have given us that allow us to overcome our feelings and forgive those who have wronged us. Give us the strength to take the more mature and higher path and love those who do us wrong. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I continually am amazed at the information that is available on the internet. So many things that we used to have to search for to understand, or we just had to accept the information was not available. Now we have maps, pictures, reference material, training courses, phone books, news, connection with longtime friends, video conversations…just amazing. Unfortunately, this amazing technology also creates new opportunities for deception and temptation.

In The Living Bible translation of Matthew 6:22-23 Jesus says, “If your eye is pure, there will be sunshine in your soul. But if your eye is clouded with evil thoughts and desires, you are in deep spiritual darkness.”

As I read this I could visualize those links on many internet sites sometimes referred as “click bait,” teasing you to look at the latest gossip, scandal, lewd photos and behavior. What a waste of our thoughts, and a “clouding of our eyes” these things are. As tempting as some of these headlines may be, we need to take a second and determine if our reasons for reading the story or looking at the pictures is right.

What a great image it is, however, to have “sunshine in our soul” as the verse says; The result of keeping our eyes and thoughts on all the great things God has provided.

Dear Lord, the blessings and opportunities you provide for us with modern technology are amazing. Help us keep our focus on the amazing benefits which provide “sunshine in our souls.” In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In Genesis 12:2 God tells Abram (whom God subsequently renamed Abraham) “I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.”

This is how we should look at the blessings we receive as well. Our intelligence, people skills, and success, or the promotion, pay raise, or bonus at work, are not just things to let us enjoy our lives, they are blessings from God so that we can be blessings to others.

Dear Lord, you have blessed us all with incredible things, our talents, intelligence, wisdom, fame, relationships, families, financial resources, and many other blessings. Help us remember that these are given to us for ourselves, but also so that we may be blessings to others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

The worldly stereotype of Christian morality is that it is constricting and takes the fun out of life. The truth is that it is the “owner’s manual” for a good life.

Psalm 19:8 says, “The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.”

If we want a life that is peace and joy filled, the Bible tells us how. Following the commonly described “10 commandments” written in Exodus 20, and Deuteronomy 5, and the two greatest commandments Jesus described in Matthew 22:36-44, when asked, “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Many times in life it may look deceptively better to do something that is in conflict with these commands, but it will turn out to be the wrong path.

Dear Lord, Thank you for giving us the instruction manual for a peace and joy filled life through your teachings in the Bible. Help us study them and strive to follow. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Who is the better athlete, the record 100 yard runner, or the record marathon runner? We cannot really say, because to be the record holder in each takes the best, but these races are different and require different qualities.

In a similar way, we each have a different set of challenges in life, requiring different qualities and efforts to handle. We are each running different races.

Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us, ” let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith”

Though God has set a different race for each of us, keeping our eyes on Jesus and His teaching will bring us all to the same finish line.

Dear Lord, Help us keep our eyes on you as we run the race you have given us, so that we may stay on the right path to our eternal goal. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.