In order to walk closely with God, we have to love what He loves—and He loves people. That means, first of all, that He loves you. And then it means that He loves the people around you – even the hard ones. The more we understand His love for us, the more we can love people the way He does—we can love them with His love.
Karen Jensen Salisbury
Day 1
Scriptures: 1 John 4:16, Romans 5:5, John 13:35
BELIEVE THE LOVE
It’s so important to realize how much God loves you, because it undergirds your very life as a Christians. Love is always God’s top priority—both for you and through you. You may have often heard that you should love God, but God says, “I love you!” He started it. And when you believe it, it changes your life. Then with that love, you can love others.
If you struggle with believing that God loves you and has forgiven you in Christ, then walking in love with and forgiving other people will be hard for you.
The best thing to do if you struggle with walking in love or forgiving is to press into God’s love for you. Study about it. Read 1 John a lot. Ask God to help you see His love for you more clearly every day. He’ll be happy to oblige!
When we try to love or forgive on our own, we’re limited by our own feelings or understanding. We can’t be the source of this kind of love. But when we believe that God’s love is in us (Romans 5:5)—when we connect to the love God has for us and the forgiveness He applies to us—then we have a limitless supply of love and forgiveness that can flow through us.
When I think about how good God has been to me—how generous, and loving, and forgiving—and how the greatness of His power is toward me to answer every prayer and take care of every problem, it just makes me want to share that love with everyone, even difficult people.
And I’ve found that when I approach people with that attitude, something wonderful happens. It’s hard to describe, because it’s supernatural, but I can almost say it’s like the surrounding atmosphere becomes “softer.” When I approach someone with the love of God as the top priority in my mind, it smooths things out and causes people to be more receptive—both to me and to the Gospel.
Loving should be as natural to a Christian as breathing. When you know and believe you’re loved by God, it just flows out of you, and then the world can see what Jesus said in John 13:35—they will know us by our love.
Day 2
Scriptures: John 15:13, Matthew 26:39, 1 Timothy 2:4
PUT THE OTHER PERSON FIRST
Always remember the reason you are on earth — to fellowship with God and declare the Good News of His love to people so they can be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). This is how we bring in the great last-days harvest before Jesus returns.
We do this by walking in the God-kind of love – the kind of love that He put in our hearts when we got saved (Romans 5:5). In a nutshell, this love does what’s better for the other person. It puts the other person first.
That’s what Jesus did for us. In the Garden of Gethsemane when He saw clearly the sacrifice that He was going to have to make on the Cross, He asked God if that cup could pass from Him. The Message says that Jesus “…fell on his face, praying, ‘My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?’” (Matthew 26:39 MSG). His own choice would have been to not go through that.
But He didn’t put His own wishes first—He put you and me first. He said to the Father, who had been planning this great redemption for 4,000 years: “Not my will, but your will be done.”
That is the picture of love. In spite of the pain, the shame, the separation from God that He would endure, He did what was best for us. He went to the Cross and shed His blood, paying the ultimate price, making the ultimate sacrifice.
John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” This is the kind of love that God put in our hearts when we were born again, and that’s the kind of love you and I are called to walk in. Jesus is our example. He gave Himself first.
What if everyone who is married did this with their spouse? What if we did it with our children, our co-workers, our fellow students, our neighbors, or other family members?
What if, when we’re dealing with a difficult person, we chose to walk in love instead of getting even or wanting them to change? I think we’d find a whole lot more of God’s power applied to our situations, and we’d come out on top every time.
Day 3
Scriptures: Ephesians 5:1-2, Mark 12:30-31
JESUS SHOWED US HOW
When I consider that Jesus gave His all for me, it doesn’t seem impossible to give my all for Him. He showed me how to do it.
Jesus made a way for us all when there was no way—a way of escape from sin, a way back to the Father, a way to walk worthy of Him. In gratitude for all He’s done for me, I want to do the same for Him—to imitate Him and walk in that same kind of selfless, liberating love that He does.
That’s why Ephesians 5:1-2 says the way we can walk in the God-kind of love for other people is by imitating what God Himself has done for us and in us:
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
The Bible tells us that the first commandment is to love God with all our hearts, and then second is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31).
How can you love your neighbor if you don’t love yourself? First you have to know who you are and how much God loves you. Second, it’s much easier to love your neighbor when you know you’re not doing it on your own—you’re doing it with the love of God that is in you (Romans 5:5).
Day 4
Scriptures: Matthew 18:21-22, Matthew 19:26
THE STRUGGLE IS REAL
Sometimes when I encourage people to walk in love, isn’t always well-received. Somehow, as soon as I say, “Walk in love”—either from the pulpit or across a counseling desk, or even to a friend—people get a distasteful look on their face, kind of like they just ate a lemon.
Let’s be real—we struggle with walking in love, especially if we feel hurt, angry, or taken advantage of. I think maybe we think, “If I walk in love with them, they’re going to get their way and I’m not going to get mine.”
We can identify with Peter in Matthew 18:21 who said to Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Peter was using all his faith here—he thought forgiving seven times sounded pretty spiritual!
Imagine his surprise when Jesus answered, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matt. 18:22). That sounded impossible to Peter! And I don’t even think Jesus meant that once you’d forgiven someone 490 times, it was okay to hold a grudge. I think He was saying, “Every time, Peter.”
Why would Jesus set such a high mark that seems almost impossible? Because He knows that forgiveness is freedom. He knows that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die—it eats us alive. It’s bondage. (You can read more about how to walk in forgiveness in my book I Forgive You, But….)
Peter was probably thinking, “No way, Lord.” Just like most of the people think when I talk to them about walking in love. Let’s face it—it’s not humanly possible to forgive or walk in love at that level.
And here’s the thing: he was right. It isn’t humanly possible. But with God, all things are possible (Matt. 19:26). He put His love in our heart so we can walk in His love. We just need to yield to it – to choose love instead of anger, fear, or resentment.
When you know God’s heart for people and how He has put His love inside you, then you can tap into His power to love even the toughest person.