I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew 5:44
The latter part of this chapter talks about Old and New, Law vs Grace. The Old Testament dealt with outward actions but with Christ being our true righteousness, we must be aware of sinful inward attitudes. Lord Jesus deals with several sins like anger, lust, deception, retaliation and how to overcome them. In v44, talks about loving our enemies. Jesus defined our enemies as those who curse us, hate us, and exploit us selfishly. Since Christian love is an act of the will and not simply an emotion, Jesus commands us to love our enemies. After all, He loved us when we were His enemies (Romans. 5:10). We may show this love by blessing those who curse us, doing good to them, and praying for them. When we pray for our enemies, we find it easier to love them. It takes the poison out of our attitudes.
Now we might say "enemy" is big word and I don’t have any nor I don’t think I am an enemy, but do you think whom you don’t like or hate, naturally not incline to have fellowship, work together, spouses, family members, host them in spite of us being right at all times, we are given another chance this morning to love them and pray for them.