Loving those who are hard to love

How do you deal with those hard to love people?

Do you ever pray, God give me the capacity to love them?

I’m Dr. Chuck, and here’s today’s spoonful of courage:

Has it ever crossed your mind that through the completed work of Christ, you already have the capacity to love those difficult people.

It may be your using the wrong tools. Perhaps you’re trying to love others in your own strength.

When Jesus gave a commandment in John: “This is my commandment that you love one another” he wasn’t setting us up for failure. Quite the opposite.

When we receive Christ, believe in his resurrection, and allow Him to live through us, God gives us the Spirit of Christ—the Holy Spirit—to live within.

Amazing isn’t it. The Spirit of Christ, the same Spirit which allowed Jesus to say, “forgive them for they know not what they do,” lives within us.

Just as Christ had the ability to serve and minister to those—like Judas—who would someday betray him, we have the same ability.

Follow my logic here:

If you have received Christ, then

You have the Spirit of Christ living within you

You have the ability to love others the way Jesus loved them.

So, perhaps our prayers should change when we face those—tough people—who we try to avoid. Instead of praying, God, help me love them, we should pray, ‘God help me use the love you have already given me.’

Romans 5: 5 says:

“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us.”

You see, one of the dynamics of the Christian life is that God never intended to set us up for failure. He gives us everything we need to live this life.

Beginning with love….

I hope this encouraged you. You can follow the links in the description where you can find a downloadable set of questions that will encourage you to draw on all the riches of grace.