How to love the unlovable

 

Time to fire up the blog again for a while. I have found a book that I think is very good, a book that besides the Bible I can use as a daily devotional. I have been looking for a daily devotional for 10 years now and none of them worked. The book is Note to Self by Joe Thorn, so each day I will share the scripture passage a expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts.

Scripture passage 1 John 3: 11-18

¹¹ This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. ¹² We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. ¹³ So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters,^[c] if the world hates you.

¹⁴ If we love our Christian brothers and sisters,^[d] it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. ¹⁵ Anyone who hates another brother or sister^[e] is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

¹⁶ We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister^[f] in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

¹⁸ Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

 Section from the book

But for love to continue and grow, and for you to love the unlovable, it is important that you meditate on the gospel. Get this—you only know what love really is by looking to your Savior. And we learn it from him continually, not just once. You must daily go to the cross and see your Savior’s love for the unlovable (that means you).

Simple thoughts

Before becoming a Christian I had no idea what love was. I truly thought that love was something that was reserved solely for those living under your roof. There is so much truth in the statement that you only really know what love is by looking at Jesus and thinking continually about the Gospel message. Because not only are we commanded to love God we are also commanded to love the unlovable and trust me for a guy who at one time could only love those under his own roof it took being able to love God first not only to love the unlovable, but anyone outside of my house. Being able to truly love is something that is impossible in our own power and something we have to look to the cross everyday to be reminded that we too were unlovable but Jesus overcame that and with His help we can too. Who do you  need to love today? The answer is everyone.