Love the Unlovable

Read:

Luke 6:35, “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

Think:

It is easy to love the ones who think you are awesome, the people who love you, and the people who do things for you. It is even easy to love the ones who are like you in personality, the ones who are like you in faith, and the ones like you culturally. It gives us a sense of calmness or sameness. How could we not show love to them? But when Jesus said, “Love your enemies.” Imagine the shock, the jolt that the crowd felt. “Love your enemies” still makes us squeamish 2,000 years later.

This is the Mount Everest of Christianity, the highest peak. It is the costliest, the toughest to surmount; it takes the most spiritual muscles. That level of love seems insurmountable, it appears ridiculous. To match the “Most High”, how could we even think that is possible? Look at what the verse says, “Do good”. What does mean in basic terms? Being kind when there’s nothing in it for you, giving when there is no return. Treating others the way we desire to be treated. This is the way we show God’s love in us.

Act:

We can show love because we have experienced the love of Jesus. Maybe someone in your life is hard to love; decide today one way you can show them, love. Ask God for help and wisdom. Get practical.

Pray:

Jesus, You loved me so much that You died for me. Help me love others unselfishly. Give me the strength to overcome the barriers. Give me the wisdom to respond in the manner You would have me. Enable me to see others as You see me. Amen.