Daily Bible Nugget #967, Matthew 5:44

The Nugget:

Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (KJV)

My Comment:

Friday, March 13, 2026, is the 40th anniversary of the day I was shot in the back of my head at point-blank range while entering Southeastern High School on Thursday morning at 7:15 am from the teacher parking lot. My assailant was never identified and never caught.

I continue to pray for my unknown assailant that he would hear the Gospel, repent, and turn to our Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

There is about 5% of the black population that commit most of the crimes attributed to this minority group of our population. From what I have read in the past, I understand that they comprise an out-sized proportion of our prison population. I recently read that in Michigan there is a 68% ninth-grade dropout rate. I would attribute that to a failure to learn to read well enough to succeed in high school. I encountered many students who were reading at only a fourth or fifth grade reading comprehension level in my high school classes. The very best of my students read at an eighth-grade level, which means they were two to four years behind grade level in reading when I initially tested them.

To solve the problem for my students, I developed my Language Enrichment Program. It is self-instructional. I designed it that way so students would not constantly require my assistance to successfully use and learn from it.

I heard Governor Whitmer on WJR touting a new emphasis upon reading for Michigan students. She said Michigan ranks 44th in student reading comprehension, very close to the bottom state. Michigan was once in the top ten states for reading achievement. If I recall correctly, she said Michigan intends to invest millions of dollars to solve this problem.

I’ve got good news for parents, teachers, students and anyone else concerned about improving student reading comprehension. I already have solved that problem and have placed my Language Enrichment Program on Amazon in book form ($20) and Kindle format ($10). On Amazon, simply search under “books” for my name, Jerome Smith, and/or the program name, The Language Enrichment Program. Anyone who follows the directions in my program will reap the benefits it provides.

Why have you not heard of this proven successful program? I sometimes wonder if those who claim to desire to solve the problem actually do not want to solve the problem. If they solved the problem, the funding would stop. I cannot afford to advertise my program, so I must depend on word-of-mouth advertising by those who have been helped by using it.

What has all this to do with my being shot on March 13, 1986? While off from teaching, I had the opportunity to assist a local third grade student who was having difficulty learning to read well. I wrote a new beginning chapter to my program that is easier to read, and this chapter has made it possible ever since to use my program with much younger students as well as with high school students who are far behind grade level in reading.

My students who used the program did not drop out of school. Most of them ended up on the honor roll. Many of them went straight to college after high school and successfully graduated college. I used my program to tutor athletes after school. Many of them got high enough scores on the SAT and ACT tests to qualify for full athletic scholarships.

I’ve shared my story. I addressed the problem. I explained how I solved the problem. Now you can help others by letting them know about my inexpensive solution so they can benefit. My program changes lives for the better!

Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Cross references from:

A. The original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge:

Matthew 5:44
Exo 23:4, 5; 2Ki 6:22; 2Ch 28:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15; Psa 7:4, Psa 35:13, 14; Pro 25:21, 22; Luk 6:27, 28, Luk 6:34, 35, Luk 23:34; Act 7:60; Rom 12:14, Rom 12:20, 21; 1Co 4:12, 13; 1Co 13:4, 5, 6, 7, 8; 1Pe 2:23, 1Pe 3:9

B. The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

Matthew 5:44
But I say. Mat 5:22, Mat 7:29, Rom 7:14.

Love your enemies. Exo 23:4, 5, Lev 19:18, 2Ki 6:22, 2Ch 28:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, *Job 31:29; *Job 31:30, *Psa 7:4; Psa 35:12, 13, 14, +*Pro 16:7; Pro 25:21, 22, Luk 6:27, 28; Luk 6:34, 35; *Luk 23:34, *Act 7:60, Rom 5:8, 9, 10; **Rom 12:14; **+Rom 12:20; **Rom 12:21, *1Co 4:12; *1Co 4:13; 1Co 13:4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1Th 3:12; 1Th 5:15, *1Pe 2:23; **1Pe 3:9.

bless. [Gr. eulogeō (S# G2127), to speak well of, that is, (religiously) to bless (thank or invoke a benediction upon, prosper (Strong): Rendered (1) bless: Mat 5:44; Mat 14:19; Mat 21:9; Mat 23:39; Mat 25:34; Mat 26:26, Mrk 6:41; Mrk 8:7; Mrk 10:16; Mrk 11:9, 10; Mrk 14:22, Luk 1:28; Luk 1:42 (twice). Luk 2:28; Luk 2:34; Luk 6:28; Luk 9:16; Luk 13:35; Luk 19:38; Luk 24:30; Luk 24:50, 51; Luk 24:53, Jhn 12:13, Act 3:26, Rom 12:14 (twice). 1Co 4:12; 1Co 10:16; 1Co 14:16, Gal 3:9, Eph 1:3, Heb 6:14 (twice). Heb 7:1; Heb 7:6, 7; Heb 11:20, 21, Jas 3:9, 1Pe 3:9, (2) praise: Luk 1:64]. %+Mat 5:3, *Mat 18:33, Gen 42:25; Gen 50:21, 2Sa 2:6; 2Sa 9:3, Job 31:30, Pro 19:11; Pro 24:17, Oba 1:12, Luk 6:28; Luk 17:4, +*Rom 12:14; +*Rom 12:20, 1Co 4:12; +*1Co 13:6, Col 3:13, 1Th 5:15.

them that curse. Jer 15:10, Jas 3:9.

do good. Gr. kalōs [S# G2573: Rendered (1) well: Mat 12:12; Mat 15:7, Mrk 7:6; Mrk 7:37; Mrk 12:28; Mrk 12:32, Luk 6:26; Luk 20:39, Jhn 4:17; Jhn 8:48; Jhn 13:13; Jhn 18:23, Act 10:33; Act 28:25, Rom 11:20, 1Co 7:37, 38; 1Co 14:17, 2Co 11:4, Gal 4:17; Gal 5:7, Php 4:14, 1Ti 3:3; 1Ti 3:12, 13; 1Ti 5:17, Jas 2:8; Jas 2:19, 2Pe 1:19, 3Jn 1:6, (2) good: Mat 5:44, Luk 6:27, (3) full well: Mrk 7:9, (4) very well: Act 25:10, (5) recover (with S# G2192): Mrk 16:18, (6) honestly: Heb 13:18, (7) in a good place: Jas 2:3]. Gen 25:6, Deut 22:4, *1Sa 24:6; *1Sa 24:7; *1Sa 24:17; *1Sa 24:18; 1Sa 30:11, 1Ki 2:9 note. +Psa 14:3, Pro 25:21, Jhn 15:8, Act 16:28, *Gal 6:10, 1Pe 3:11.

pray for. T1473: Exo 8:12; Exo 10:18, Num 12:13; Num 16:47, *1Sa 12:23; 1Sa 15:11, 2Sa 1:12, 1Ki 13:6, Psa 35:13, 14; Psa 141:5, Jer 29:7, *Mrk 11:25, *Luk 6:27; *Luk 6:28; *Luk 18:1; Luk 23:33, 34, Jhn 17:9, Act 7:59, 60; Act 16:25, Rom 10:1, 1Co 4:12, 13, 1Ti 2:8, %+*2Ti 4:14; %+*2Ti 4:16, 1Pe 3:9.

which despitefully use you. Rather, are cursing, are hating, are despitefully using and persecuting you, i.e. even while in the act, and continuing this treatment of you (De Burgh). Act 14:5.

persecute. T1639, Jer 29:7, *1Co 4:12.