43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemies.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.[b] 45 If you do this, then you will be true sons of your Father in heaven. Your Father causes the sun to rise on good people and on bad people. Your Father sends rain to those who do good and to those who do wrong. 46 If you love only the people who love you, then you will get no reward. Even the tax collectors do that. 47 And if you are nice only to your friends, then you are no better than other people. Even people without God are nice to their friends. 48 So you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5: 43-48 International Children’s bible
Hi, Kids!
Today is all about love! Our bible story above tells us that we must love not only those who love us and treat us well but also those who are not always as nice. It says that we should pray for those people and that to do so is to act as a child of God. Ultimately, the message is that we are called to love in the same way that God does – equally. God does not love only the good or only those who are strong in faith. God loves all of God’s children no matter who they are, what they’ve done, or how they behave. Watch the video below to learn more.
God challenges us to love where it is hard to do so, not just where it is easy. The Scripture even uses the familiar example of tax collectors, a group of people who were commonly villains in the Bible – and often rightly so – as people who might be hard to love whom God calls us to love anyway. Christians are called on to surpass the ability to love where it is easy to do so. Love and kindness can take many different forms and expressing love is something that people in Christian communities are called to do.
As an activity for this week, let’s practice expressing love. Take time out of each day to show love in at least one special gesture to someone in your life. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, and it doesn’t have to cost money. It can be as simple as giving your sibling a hug, a friend a call, or helping your parent or guardian with a chore. Write down all that you did to express love and how it made you feel.