Fear NotSample

God Will Give Me Strength to Love One of the sweet features of Christianity is that God never calls us to his way of living without also giving us the wisdom we need and the power and strength to carry it out. He knows all about how hard it is to choose to love someone who is treating you poorly. God often compared himself in the Bible to a husband with an unfaithful wife (a metaphor for his often backsliding believers). He even instructed his prophet Hosea to marry an immoral woman as an ongoing visual aid: "The LORD said to me, 'Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods'" (Hosea 3:1). True enough--some marriages can't be saved. But as we reflect on God's unconditional love and forgiveness for us, we are strengthened to love difficult people. As we reflect on God's tremendous patience with us, we find strength to be patient with the sinners around us. As we reflect on his optimism and hope in our future, we will find strength to stay positive as a sacrifice of praise to him. To all who fear that their marriage has become loveless, know this: only the gospel changes hearts. Nagging, retaliation, and the silent treatment only make the angry angrier. Only love can create love.