| How to Love the Unlovable |
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| By Rick Warren — Jul 25, 2015 |
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.” (Luke 6:32 NIV)
If you only love on and off like a light switch, you do not love others like God wants you to love. Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?” (Luke 6:32a NIV)
His point is this: All of us can love those who love us back. Becoming a master lover means you learn to love the unlovable — when you love people who don’t love you, when you love people who irritate you, when you love people who stab you in the back or gossip about you.
This may seem like an impossible task, and it is. That’s why we need God’s love in us, so we can then love others: “We know and rely on the love God has for us” (1 John 4:16a).
When you realize how much God loves you — with an extravagant, irresistible, unconditional love — then his love will change your entire focus on life. If we don’t receive God’s love for us, we’ll have a hard time loving other people. I’m talking about loving people who are unlovely, difficult, irritable, different, or demanding.
You can’t do that until you have God’s love coming through you. You need to know God’s love so it can overflow out of your life into others.
Talk It Over
- How should a Christian’s love look different to the world?
- How can you better understand how much God loves you?
- What does it mean to receive God’s love?
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| Today’s Scripture |
“ ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.”
(Zechariah 4:6, NIV) |
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| By His Spirit |
In this day and age, we are equipped with so many wonderful resources in the natural: technology, education, abilities. It’s easy to rely on our own natural strength for so many things. We have to remember that this natural world is only temporary, but the spiritual realm is eternal. We aren’t limited to the earth’s resources; we have unlimited spiritual resources by the Spirit of God.
There are some things in life that can’t happen by human thinking and reasoning. There are things that won’t be solved by natural power and might. But God is not limited by the resources of this world. When you open the door of faith in your heart, God will move through you in powerful ways by His Spirit.
By His Spirit, you can overcome temptation. By His Spirit, you can receive healing. By His Spirit, you can fulfill every dream and desire in your heart. No matter what challenges or obstacles you may be facing today, know that you can live in complete victory by His Spirit!
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| A Prayer for Today |
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“Father in heaven, thank You for giving me access to all of Your spiritual blessings. I choose to rely on You and trust that You are working in my life. I praise and bless You, knowing that You are leading me in victory in every area of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
PS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZGqKqciv8E |
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