Love my Enemies

Heavenly Father,

You are love. Teach me to love for you first loved me. Make my love genuine as it flows directly from your love for me. May I love well the people you have placed around me today. Remind me to bless those who persecute me. And I pray I would love my enemies: not just those who actively seek to hurt me, but all those who do not actively seek my good. Help me resist the temptation to repay evil for evil or indifference for indifference. Let my love be evident to all. Make it gush forth in every word and deed that you may be seen in my life. Vengeance belongs to you alone; I do not need to defend myself, for you are my stronghold. Give me wisdom that my love will manifest in a way most profitable for those with whom I interact. In my every thought and deed, show me how to cherish all those who bear your image.

In the name of love incarnated. Amen.