God wants to express His love through you. Will you give Him a chance to demonstrate the power of love? Leave your emotions alone; do not condemn yourself for your negative feelings. In the power of the Holy Spirit, express love in word and in deed, and your emotions will eventually catch up with you. If in time your loved one reciprocates your love, the “tingles” may even return. If you are a Christian, then love is not beyond your grasp.

Take time to pray asking God…

• To teach you His brand of deep, supernatural love;
• To show you who you need to love;
• To help you love difficult people – even your enemies.

Reflect on:

What seems the most difficult or shocking to you in Jesus’ instructions in these verses?

If we choose to love, then our emotions will eventually catch up with us. When have you experienced this to be true?

Who do you find most difficult to love, and how can you practice this supernatural love in action?

Consider these passages for further study on Love:

Proverbs 10:12; Hatred stirs up conflict,
    but love covers over all wrongs.

John 13:34; “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Romans 12:9-10 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Luke 6:27-36

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ³¹ Do to others as you would have them do to you.

³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Makes you think of all the ways to love someone and find new ways of appreciation. Devotional thoughts of Gary Chapman.

What do you learn about love from these Bible passages?