“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. . . . If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43–48 NLT)

 

Who was on your Christmas gift list this year? Usually, we give gifts to family and friends. We want to buy gifts for people we love and people we care about. We tend to give gifts to those who treat us well, people who are kind and considerate to us. And often we will give gifts in return for gifts that we have received. Some of us will even buy gifts for our pets.

However, we generally don’t buy gifts for our enemies, do we? We don’t give a gift to the person who has slandered us in the past year. We don’t give a gift to the irate neighbor who never has a kind word to say. We don’t give a gift to someone who has tried to run us out of business. Nor do we send a gift to the thief who broke into our car last month.

Yet that’s the standard to which the Lord calls us. In Matthew 5:43–48, Jesus said, “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. . . . If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (NLT).

How can the Lord hold us to such high expectations? “We love each other because he loved us first” (1 John 4:19 NLT).

When God sent Jesus Christ, His Son, and gave us the ultimate gift, He gave it to us while we were still His enemies. The Bible tells us, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 NKJV). We did nothing whatsoever to merit or deserve this gift. In fact, what we really deserve is judgment, because we all have sinned against God. We all have deliberately crossed that line.

The amazing truth of Christmas is that, despite our sins, God sent His Son to save us. In that tiny manger in Bethlehem, He gave us a gift that we don’t deserve—but that we can be thankful for every day of our lives.

 

Reflection question: This Christmas season, how can you show love to someone you don’t get along with? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

 

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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&ldquo;You have heard the law that says, &lsquo;Love your neighbor&rsquo;&nbsp;and hate your enemy.&nbsp;But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!&nbsp;In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. .&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.&nbsp;If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.&rdquo; (Matthew 5:43&ndash;48 NLT)
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Who was on your Christmas gift list this year? Usually, we give gifts to family and friends. We want to buy gifts for people we love and people we care about. We tend to give gifts to those who treat us well, people who are kind and considerate to us. And often we will give gifts in return for gifts that we have received. Some of us will even buy gifts for our pets.
However, we generally don&rsquo;t buy gifts for our enemies, do we? We don&rsquo;t give a gift to the person who has slandered us in the past year. We don&rsquo;t give a gift to the irate neighbor who never has a kind word to say. We don&rsquo;t give a gift to someone who has tried to run us out of business. Nor do we send a gift to the thief who broke into our car last month.
Yet that&rsquo;s the standard to which the Lord calls us. In Matthew 5:43&ndash;48, Jesus said, &ldquo;You have heard the law that says, &lsquo;Love your neighbor&rsquo;&nbsp;and hate your enemy.&nbsp;But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!&nbsp;In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. .&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.&nbsp;If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect&rdquo; (NLT).
How can the Lord hold us to such high expectations? &ldquo;We love each other because he loved us first&rdquo; (1 John 4:19 NLT).
When God sent Jesus Christ, His Son, and gave us the ultimate gift, He gave it to us while we were still His enemies. The Bible tells us, &ldquo;But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us&rdquo; (Romans 5:8 NKJV). We did nothing whatsoever to merit or deserve this gift. In fact, what we really deserve is judgment, because we all have sinned against God. We all have deliberately crossed that line.
The amazing truth of Christmas is that, despite our sins, God sent His Son to save us. In that tiny manger in Bethlehem, He gave us a gift that we don&rsquo;t deserve&mdash;but that we can be thankful for every day of our lives.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: This Christmas season, how can you show love to someone you don&rsquo;t get along with?&nbsp;<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
&mdash;
The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
&nbsp;
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
<a href="https://go.pddr.app/glpodcast">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestPartners">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God’s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from Pastor Greg Laurie, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you. 

*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God&rsquo;s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from&nbsp;<a href="https://harvest.org/about-greg-laurie/">Pastor Greg Laurie</a>, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you.&nbsp;
*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Greg Laurie provides commentary on the day's Bible verse.

Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

God showed us love when we didn’t deserve it, and He expects us to do the same for others.

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