Every Friday
Loving Those Who Don’t Love You Back
By J.D. Greear
One of the most mind-blowing things in Scripture is that you see God, the Almighty, self-sufficient Creator of the universe, constantly reaching out to love people who don’t love him back. Understanding that one thing about God will do more to change your life than perhaps any other thing.
Your deepest longings are for love. And when you come to know God as love, it will give you a joy and a freedom and a fullness that will redefine you and all of your relationships. It will transform you into a loving person, the kind of person you always wanted to be.
Exodus 34:6–7 say that God is abounding in steadfast love. It’s a love that doesn’t preclude anger at sin, but slows it. It’s a love that doesn’t change based on his moods or how worthy you are on any given day. God’s love is a settled resolve.
The depth and length of God’s love revealed in Scripture is shocking. So shocking, in fact, that he chooses to reveal it not through explanation but experience. One of those stories is of Jonah.
God called Jonah, a prophet, to go and preach salvation to the Ninevites. The Ninevites were some of the cruelest people in the ancient world. Jonah didn’t want to do it. So God allows Jonah to be swallowed by a large fish and eventually he relents and preaches to the Ninevites, not because he loves them but because he doesn’t want to be bait. And sure enough, they repent.
Jonah then asks God, in anger, how he could possibly love people like the Ninevites (Jonah 4:1–2). Of course, the irony is that this city wasn’t some random place God chose to love. Nineveh represents you and me.
One day, when you see with clarity the love of God for you, you’re going to have a hard time believing it. With Jonah, God placed him in a situation with people he’d never choose to forgive, saying, “Jonah, this is you. And I won’t stop loving you.”
If you’ve had the experience of being betrayed, but you can’t stop loving that person, you’ve had a taste of God’s love for you.
Reflections
What comes to mind as you think about God’s love for you? Do you have trouble believing it? Why or why not?
What experiences have you had with loving others who didn’t love you back? How did that make you feel? How is God asking you to love them?
Prayer
Ask God to help you love those who don’t love you back, showing them a glimpse of his love for you and them. Ask him to help you believe that his love for you is steadfast and transformative.