Session 3

How to love the unlovable

From 1 John: A 7-Day Devotional

It’s easy to love people who love you back. But then there are times when it’s not so easy to love. The times you have been hurt and wronged. Are you still supposed to love someone who hurts you? And, if so, how?

In 1 John 3:14-15, John, one of Jesus’ closest friends, warns us that hating someone makes us murderers in our hearts. God wants us to love even those who are hard to love.

Our ability to love others on our own is limited. It’s circumstantial, based on how we feel about the other person and the way he or she treats us. But with God’s help, we are able to love others the way Jesus wants us to — everyone, all the time.

We can show real love because we’ve experienced it. Jesus gave up His life for us before we ever knew Him. That willingness to love those who don’t deserve it is what John is calling us to. That is what it means to follow Jesus.

1 John 3:24 promises that as we open our hearts to love others, we experience a deeper relationship with God: "The one who keeps God’s commands live in him, and he in them.”

Are there people in your life that you need some extra help loving? It’s OK to be honest and ask God for help loving others. He has given us all a great capacity to love, and in His strength, we can overcome all barriers.

Reflect:

• Is anyone in your life hard to love? What is it about that person that you struggle with?
• What’s one way you can show that person love this week?