Heavenly Father good morning. Thank you for a new day. Thank you for a new day with you. Thank you for the new day from you as you hold all things together. And thank you for the scripture for today’s prayer for your daughter Lindsey:

[Jesus said:] For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:46-48)

Lord, I am here again. Here to sit with you on behalf of your daughter you love. Lindsey, today the scripture for the prayer is all about love. However, it focuses not on reminding you to love others, but on who it is that you are choosing to love. And that is hard. And so Lord, I ask that you be the strength for Lindsey today. I ask that you be her guide. Help her to be loving even to those who appear to be against her. For what reward is there in loving only the people who are so fondly loving you? Perhaps this is another big prayer today, since it appears that there are literally thousands who are loudly and publicly proclaiming how much they love you Lindsey (and likewise there are the detractors as well).  And so my big prayer is that the Lord would enlarge your heart and keep it filled with his joy so that you could love not only those who say they love you, but also those who don’t. I pray that the Lord would guard your heart, that he would keep it from breaking and at the same time add more love to it right then. And we will give the glory to God. All the glory is his. I pray this big prayer in the name of Christ Jesus, King of kings. Amen

GNT:
Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that! And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that!  You must be perfect—just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

NLT:
If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.  If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.