Love the Unlovable
At one of my Wednesday night Bible studies, one of our members was telling us about her youth group growing up. She said that her pastor would talk a lot about love. As teenagers, of course, they were all thinking about romantic love. But the pastor clarified: Not romantic love – but agape love – a love that will sacrifice for another person… Hearing that, the students said, “Well, we all love each other. We do things for each other.” Their wise pastor replied, “That’s easy! You all are lovable. The challenge of the gospel, of course, is to love the unlovable.”
…to love the unlovable! That’s not easy, is it?
A Lutheran minister named Roy Lloyd once interviewed Mother Teresa, and he asked her, “What’s the biggest problem in the world today?” She answered without hesitation, “The biggest problem in the world today is that we draw the circle of our family too small. We need to draw it larger every day.”
What would it look like for you to love the unlovable? What would it mean to draw the circle of your family a little larger?
Your homework today is to think on these things. 🙂
Let us pray: We remember today that love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious or arrogant or rude, and that love never ends. Thank you for loving us in this way. Give us the grace we need to share this same love with others. And as we do, may we again experience a deep sense of your peace. Amen.
Daily Message Author: Joe Albright
Joe began his ministry in Sarasota, Florida as an associate pastor, and it was in this capacity that he worked alongside the Reverend Dr. Roger Kunkel. Roger was a colleague who became a mentor and treasured friend. From Sarasota, Joe was called to Jacksonville, Florida where he served as the Head of Staff at Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church. Currently, Joe and his family worship and serve at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Switzerland, Florida. Full Bio
