If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Luke 6:32a NIV
I wonder if Jesus got an answer to this question!
Be honest…it is easier to love some people than others. Some people quite frankly are just difficult to love. (No names necessary, but you know who I’m talking about.)
Jesus doesn’t always call us to easy tasks, does He? We don’t live under the same standards as the rest of the world, do we?
You and I, the children of God, are called to live a life of love. That requirement stretches far beyond the loveable. It reaches those that are down and out; those who smell funny; those outside of our social class; those of different colors; and yes, those who are not capable of returning our love.
Jesus even calls us to love our enemies! As tough as that is, it is at the very heart of our Christian faith. Afterall, you and I were once in a similiar predicament as those so hard to love. Think about it, we were seperated from God. The crud of our sin left us unattractive to God. There was nothing any us of any value to a Holy God. We were outcast; down and out; without hope…….enemies of God!
But, praise be to God, He loved us in spite of who we were! He reached down with the depth of His love and sent us a Savior! He restored us from our sin state and gave us access into His presence! He loved us with the cross!
Now we are to love others as we have been loved…
Who is God calling you to love today?
Him and my wife.
Probably seems like a strange answer, but…
For years my eyes were off Him and like Peter on the water, I was drowning. Wasn't so much that I wasn't loving Him, just not giving Him the love He deserves at the level He deserves it. This translated into a terrible attitude toward many things and people, but most notably my wife. Would always say I love you, but had trouble really living it.
My wife was gracious to draw a line in the sand and tell me that she wanted out; at least a separation. What a wake-up call. In the last 18-20 months I have been counseled and have grown in my relationship to the Lord. Like Peter I put my eyes back on Him and called out and He has raised me out of the despair of the mire of sin I was in. My love for Him is so much stronger and our relationship is so much better than it's ever been. I thank God daily for saving my sorry butt twice. Once when He saved my soul when I became Christian and again when he saved my life from a downward spiral that was going nowhere good.
From that has come a completely changed man who loves his wife totally and unconditionally. On the one hand this is one of the easiest things I've ever had to do because God is so gracious and my wife is more beautiful and more special than she has ever been to me. On the other hand, it's one of the hardest things I've had to do because her heart is closed to me and although I give her unconditional love every day, she does nothing to make me want to love her. She is cold and closed to me and never even touches me. Still I love her because she is my wife and that is what I am called to do and though it's hard, it's the best job in the world.
My prayer is that God touch and soften her heart towards me. God has been gracious to me and I pray that she will as well.
Wow, thanks for your tremendous honesty and transparency as always Jon. Praying for you.
A few family members. Some times they are the hardest to love.
Thanks for your honesty.
My sister. She has had problems and our relationship has suffered. We invited her to come live with us to help her sort it all out. God definitely called my awesome wife and I to open our hearts to her and help her through the restoration process
Thanks for sharing James.
Who is God calling you to love today: That's quite a difficult question! Here's a recent post in my blog about Loving the Unloving… http://journeyofawoman.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/l…
Thanks so much for sharing!