I was thinking about how God has freely given us His grace, forgiving and covering all our failures and mistakes. No matter how many times we fail and mess up, God never gives up on us. His amazing love never runs out. To know the love of God is such a beautiful, secure position to be in. But God hasn’t poured His love into our lives just so we can enjoy it. The apostle John says, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11). The same unfailing love that He has given us is for our spouse and children, our relatives and friends, our neighbors and coworkers. He blesses us so that we can spread the blessing. It’s called being “the hands and feet of Jesus.”
So what do you do when someone in your family can’t seem to get their life right? What is your attitude when someone you love keeps messing their life up? They remind you of the kid on the sports team who can’t hold on to the ball, can’t score, keeps falling down, and makes one penalty after another, game after game. It’s easy to get upset and complain to others about them. You might get so weary of it that you tell them how bad they are, but what good does that do? The last thing they need is another person telling them how badly they’re playing. They need someone who keeps showing them how they can turn it around and who keeps encouraging them for what they’re doing right.
The Scripture says, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24). When someone you know can’t seem to do anything right, God says to think about how you can spur them on toward love. You dwell on what might help them. You don’t give up on them and think they can’t change. If you can spur someone on in God’s love, good deeds will follow. If you can strengthen them in God’s love, their life will become better. Love is powerful! God is saying, “Love them always, love them anyway.”
God has empowered each of us through His love, His grace, and His mercy to set the tone of love within our families and within the circle of our relationships. It’s up to us to stir up the love, to make others know that they are secure in our love, to tell them we love being a part of their lives and are proud of them, and to be our very best for them. We love because we have God’s love to give.