Loving the Unlovable

 

Too often we judge people for their peculiarities and idiosyncrasies. We categorize them, box them up in neat little packages and stick them away on a shelf in our mind, ignoring them as much as possible.

Once in a while our paths cross again, and we are forced to interact with this peculiar individual once more. We take down our box, stick new labels on them and place them back on the shelf as quickly as possible. They may be our neighbor, spouse, child, sibling, relative, church member, co-worker or even our employer.

Please realize that within each of these precious people is a wounded soul. They are a product of a lifetime of events, which molded their personality to give them unique characteristics, which may irritate or even wound us deeply.

We may go so far as to harbor bitterness toward them and possibly even dismiss them from our life as a lost cause (Ephesians 4:32). However, these unlovable people are diamonds in the rough.

They are created by God, and He has a special plan for their life, just as He has for us (Ephesians 2:10). God put them in our life for us to minister His Agape love to them and to give them a secure and nurturing place to live (Matthew 5:47).

We are all fallible and have our own weaknesses and peculiarities. How would you want this person to treat you? There is healing for everyone at the cross of Christ.

Sometimes, people are unaware of God’s grace, and He gives us opportunities to give them unconditional love, patience, security and friendship to model God's character to them. His plan for this relationship may be for us to help heal the deep wounds within their soul.

Prayer:

Father God, You create everyone in Your image. We are all unlovable until You redeem us (Ephesians 1:7). In fact, You loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Teach us that when we allow Your Agape love to flow through us to someone else, it is hard to stay angry at them or to consider them worthless.

Remind us to pray for them and to look for opportunities to bless them. You may just use this individual to bless us in some way too, if we look beyond the aspects of their life which irritate or hurt us, and love them anyway.

Thought for the Day:

Don’t throw people away, because God wants us to use our freedom in Him to love and serve one another, just as He died for and blesses us. – Galatians 5:13

Caring for One Another

God's Spirit provides us with spiritual gifts, which build up the church (Ephesians 4:11-12). Apostles start new churches; prophets proclaim God's Word; evangelists are anointed to reach the lost; pastors and teachers dissect the Word and feed it to us in tiny morsels, which are easy to digest; and they all equip the Body of Believers to go out to do the work of the ministry.

We are to respect and submit to our spiritual leaders, because they watch out for our soul, and they must give account to God for their watch care over us. Sometimes we cause them grief by our inconsiderate behavior and our refusal to heed their spiritual guidance (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, 1 Peter 5:5). Some leadership is carnal, however, and we should always compare their advice with God's Word.

Since we are motivated by God's Spirit we love one another (Ephesians 5:18-19). Our leaders should model God's love and teach us to share the love we have from God with one another (1 John 2:10, 4:7,11; John 13:34-35; 1 Peter 1:22). We are to meet our own needs, as well as the needs of others, without allowing selfishness and arrogance to dictate our behavior (Philippians 2:3-4; Romans 12:10, James 2:1).

When we purify our self by obeying God's truth, His sincere love helps us to love one another deeply, from the heart (1 Peter 1:22). We are compatible, compassionate, empathetic and meek when we love one another (1 Peter 3:8). The Lord teaches us to care for everyone, even unbelievers, with a growing love, which resembles our love for Him (1 Thessalonians 3:12).

Prayer:

Father God, Jesus commanded us to love one another as He loves us (John 13:34). You teach us to love one another by Your Spirit, especially those we consider to be unlovable (1 Thessalonians 4:9). When we see them with Your eyes, we are moved with Your compassion. Love comes from You, You live in us and Your love is made complete in us (1 John 4:7,12). As we love one another everyone will know that we are Your disciples (John 13:35).

Thought for the Day:

We are to owe no one anything except to love each other.

- Romans 13:8

Living in Love

God is love. When we live in the infinite, eternal, holy love of God, then God Himself dwells within us (1 John 4:16). We live in and rely on the love of God as it inundates our soul throughout the day. He fills us with the fruit of His Spirit, which are all fulfilled in love (Galatians 5:22-23). When we abide in this supernatural, spiritual love, our soul finds rest and peace (Hebrews 4:10). We live in harmony with God, and we accomplish His purposes with our life.

Loving others does not mean that we serve them from codependence or compulsion, but only by the leading of God’s Spirit within us. We follow Jesus’ example as He walked through streets full of people needing His healing touch. Jesus only did what our Father directed Him to do. Not moved by human love or compassion, Jesus ministered in Spirit and truth. God’s love, which transcends human thoughts and feelings, sets us free to walk in God’s love.

This enables us to love the unlovable, with as much passion as we do the lovely. This union with divine Love also affords us the divine attributes of joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control and faith. Our soul finds its home in God’s love. Our basic human need to love and be loved is provided for us by our sacred union with God, which enhances marriage, parenthood and our church family.

We find the deepest, most fulfilling union of love in the spirit. We are united in Christ as well as with one another. Union in spirit also leads to a greater, sweeter union in body and soul. Integrated in love, we can truly say that we and our Heavenly Father are one, just as He and Christ are one (John 17:21). United with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3), we walk in the Spirit and relate to the world around us from this center of God’s divine love.

God’s love in us goes beyond keeping the commandments by the morals of law, and is fulfilled in the two greatest commandments: to love God and one another (Matthew 22:37-39). In this way, the unsaved masses in the world will recognize that there is something different about Born Again Believers (John 13:35). We no longer live for our self, but for the good of one another. This is foreign to most people, but they too are actually searching for this Divine union with the God of love.

Prayer:

Father God, sanctify us with Your love until we express Your divine nature to the world around us (2 Peter 1:4). Enable us to bring many to redemption by Your love in us. Make it evident in our life by Your Holy Spirit. In our union with You, we live our life in Your service and seek to walk by Your Spirit, doing the works, which You preordained for us to do (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Thought for the Day:

Those who abide in God’s Love can never live out of harmony with His will.