The
Lord tells us to “increase and abound in love one toward another” (1
Thessalonians 3:12). This includes deeply loving difficult husbands! Can you
deeply love your disobedient, mean, and ornery husband? This includes that
relative that completely rubs you the wrong way and may even be cruel to you.
Do you treat them with patience and kindness, a large part of what love means?
We
are also commanded to not worry? It’s so easy to worry about the state of our
country and who will be the next President. It’s incessantly on the news, thus
feeding our fears. Hollywood is getting more perverse. Pornography is easily
available to all. It is definitely growing darker and more evil on planet earth,
so do we worry?
If
you are a child of the King, you can easily love those who are mean and even
evil. This isn’t our home so we can trust in the One who died for us. Listen to
what Charles Spurgeon has to say about all of this.
“Inasmuch as Jesus has gone before us,
things do not remain as they would have been, had He never passed that way. He
has conquered every foe that obstructed the way. Cheer up O faint-hearted
warrior. Not only has Christ traveled the road but He has slain your enemies!
Do you dread sin? He has nailed it to His
cross!
Do you fear death? He has been the death
of death!
Whatever foes may be before the Christian
- they are all overcome! There are lions but their teeth are broken! There are
serpents but their fangs are extracted! There are flames but we wear that
matchless garment which renders us invulnerable to fire!
The sword that has been forged against us
is already blunted; the instruments of war which the enemy is preparing have
already lost their point.
The Breaker, Christ, has taken away all
the power that anything can have to hurt us. Well then, the army may safely
march on, and you may go joyously along your journey, for all you enemies are
conquered beforehand! Your victory shall be easy, and your treasure shall be beyond
all count!”
Because
of all this, we can easily increase and abound in love towards one another,
even that husband of yours who has caused so much pain in your life, that mean
relative, and all those who may even hate you! Because Christ has conquered, we
can rest in Him about our future, about who will be President, and how bad our
culture becomes. We can walk with our heads held high, a smile on our face, joy
in our hearts, and kindness in our speech and actions. Yes, you can do all of
these women, because your Savior died for you!
On
Christ the solid Rock I stand;
All
other ground is sinking sand!
