The Bible says that love perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:7)
It is relatively easy for me to love people who are nice to me. But I need God’s supernatural power to persevere at loving unkind or annoying people. My natural (sinful) inclination is to give up when the going gets rough. But, by God’s grace and strength, I can persevere at loving those who are difficult to love.
God’s love is an action, and an act of the will, not necessarily a feeling. Regardless of my emotions, I can choose to focus on a person’s potential instead of their flaws, and to be faithful in reflecting God’s love to them despite their actions. When God’s love is motivating me, I will seek to understand their perspective. No matter how discouraged I feel, I will not give up on them. I will pray for them and do whatever I can to help them. That does not mean I will always make them happy (I don’t always like how God deals with me, though I know He acts out of love), but I will strive to be a peacemaker, and I will be considerate of their feelings.
I can’t always control my circumstances, but, in Christ, I have the freedom and the power to choose my attitude. I access His power by prayerfully surrendering my will to His, choosing to live His way, instead of mine. Love presses on. The reward is a supernatural peace of mind, despite circumstances, and the joy of knowing I’ll be spending eternity in the Lord’s loving presence. To God be the glory! Great things He has done!
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