In spite of

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Elizabeth Welte in Victory Call

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I just don’t feel loving.

I remember years ago reading 1 Corinthians 13 over and over again for weeks and coming to the conclusion that I am not a very loving person. I can be impatient and unkind. I may be boastful and arrogant and even occasionally rude.  There are times I am irritable and resentful.

I also realized many years ago that, although I may not be a very loving person, by biblical standards I am still called to love. We are called to love our brothers and sisters[1], and we are called to love our enemies[2], and presumably everyone in between.  “Love is the crowning Christian virtue throughout Scripture.”[3]

In my experience, there are those that are a joy to love. It’s easy to love them because… and I can list all the reasons I love them.  Truth be told, we all have times we are not so lovable.  At those times, I must choose to love them in spite of the reasons they are unlovable in that moment.
God doesn’t love us because of anything inherent in us, but He loves us in spite of us.

“…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12

When we can’t love because …. We choose to love in spite of.

[1] See 1 John 4:7-8, 11
[2] See Matthew 5:43-44
[3] Pastor Mickey Connolly

 

Written by Diane Hunt: Diane Hunt serves on the board of America’s Keswick and is the Executive Director & CEO of Changed Choices, a Christian non-profit in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.

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This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” – Hebrews 2:9