“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

35 But love your enemies and be kind and do good [doing favors so that someone derives benefit from them] and lend, expecting and hoping for nothing in return but considering nothing as lost and despairing of no one: and then your recompense (your reward) will be great (rich, strong, intense and abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind and charitable and good to the ungrateful and the selfish and wicked. 36 So be merciful (sympathetic, tender, responsive and compassionate) just as your Father is [all these].  Luke 6:35-36 Amp

Love your enemies.

God’s ways are higher than our ways and His ways always work in your favor in the end. You may not think so at the time, but obedience to the Word of God – even and especially when it seems like the most ridiculous thing to do – will bring a favorable result to your life. When He says, “Love your enemies” then you need to love your enemies, because it will bring a favorable end to you and to them. God is not necessarily on your side against another person, especially if your “enemy” is another believer, but He has a blessing for all concerned if they will only yield to Him. You cannot be held responsible for the behavior or attitude of your enemies, but you are responsible and will give an account for your behavior and attitude! So pick a good attitude and behave like a child of God, not a child of the devil.

The agape love of God is not concerned with the character or deservedness of an individual, but He reaches out to love the unlovely and the undeserving and the ungrateful. It is a love that springs from the character of God that sees every person as valuable and precious when they are nothing of the sort.

Be kind and do good. Do favors so that someone derives benefit from them.

Be kind to your enemies. Do good things to and for your enemies. Do favors to and for your enemies – favors that benefit them in some way. Don’t do a favor that has a sting in the tail. Don’t do something that is outwardly kind and good, but nasty in the end, only to make a point or to rub their nose in it. Get an attitude adjustment. Let your favors be done out of a genuine love and a humble spirit that is submitted to the will of the Father. Do this in order to release yourself from the vicious cycles of hate and retribution that can spiral out of control like a giant whirlpool, sucking everything that gets close enough to it down to be dashed on the rocks on the sea bed below.

Lend, expecting and hoping for nothing in return.

Don’t give or bless expecting a particular result or reward. Don’t look for a particular response from the recipient of your favor. Give and bless and sow in faith, trusting God and expecting Him to do His will, as only He can, in the situation. If you give just to give – in compliance with the will and Word of God – then He will take care of you. His favor and protection will be on you.

Consider nothing as lost and despairing of no one.

Don’t give up on anyone. Don’t think of your favor and blessing as being wasted on anyone. Don’t give up on your seed. Plant it and leave it in the ground, watering it with your faith that just as you have done your part, that God will do His. Just because you do not see an immediate result or response, it does not mean that your favor did not have an impact. Just as you must give regular seed time to germinate and spring forth, so you must give your blessing-seed time to work and produce. Even if you must walk away and never see the end result except in Heaven – then do it anyway, trusting your Heavenly Father to do the right thing and to honor your faith and obedience.

Then your recompense (your reward) will be great (rich, strong, intense and abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind and charitable and good to the ungrateful and the selfish and wicked.

When you obey God’s word and bless your enemies, the Lord will bless you with a great reward – a rich, strong, intense and abundant reward. Not only will you receive a blessing, but also when you bless your enemies, you are showing yourself to be a child of your Heavenly Father because He is kind charitable and good to the ungrateful, the selfish and the wicked. You should be glad that He is so merciful to the wicked because you were wicked once and even now that you are saved, you still do and say wrong things and you still need His mercy. Thank God for His mercy to the wicked and also to you when you did not deserve it!

So be merciful (sympathetic, tender, responsive and compassionate) just as your Father is [all these].

God does not ask us to do anything that He is not already doing. He does not expect you to do anything that will not benefit you in the end. Everything that the Lord tells you to do is ultimately going to be a great blessing in your life. When you bless others, especially your enemies, you will receive blessings and satisfaction and peace in your own life.