Luke 6:31-36
And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Sinners also love. Sinners also do good. Sinners also lend. But for followers of Christ, it has to go beyond what sinners do and reach the level of what God does and how He acts so that we do as God does and not as sinners do. The actions of sinners that Jesus describes are all reciprocal kinds of actions. They only love as they are loved in return. They do good to those who do good to them. They lend to others in order to get something in return. But God wants us to love even those who don’t love us, to do good if we don’t get something good back, to lend to another not expecting anything in return.

When we do these things, we are acting as God does. He loves every person whether they ever love Him back or not. He pours out blessings that good and evil alike partake in and experience. He gives to us all knowing that we could never repay Him for all of His goodness to us. So who will I choose to imitate? Do I want to be like the sinners, those who do not please and honor God? Or do I want to be like my loving and merciful Father who has done so much for me when I am a sinner myself? Will I imitate the world’s selfishness or my Father’s goodness, kindness, and love even when I am mistreated by sinful people in a sinful world?