Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
We have talked about loving our enemies a few times now and showing kindness, even when it is undeserved. Today we have that same message yet again. It is important that we love everyone, including those who do us wrong. Jesus was clear when He said we are to love one another and the Apostles echoed this in their epistles.
Everything we are instructed to do here is done with kindness. We love our enemies, we do good to them, and we lend to them not expecting anything in return. Each of these actions is a choice we make. We can easily choose to do otherwise, to refuse to do good, to deny them things they need that we could lend. But we choose to love them regardless and we let His love shine through us.
Since we do all of this without expectation or to get anything in return for our actions, we are rewarded by Him. But we don’t do this to earn anything. We do it because He told us to. We do it because we choose to show love and kindness to others. We do it because we are being obedient to what He has called us to do. And He rewards us for our obedience. We store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20).
The verse ends with a reminder that He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. They don’t deserve His kindness any more than we do, but He is kind regardless. He loves them no matter what because He doesn’t want any to perish, but wants all to be saved and to come to know Him and have a personal relationship with Him (2 Peter 3:9).
Are you showing kindness and love to the ungrateful and wicked? Though it is hard to do, give it to God and let Him love them and shower them with kindness through you.
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