“And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.”

Mark 12:30-31 (NLT)

God loves people you know, and people you don’t know. But he also loves people you don’t like.

Loving people we know and like is easy, loving those who have wronged us can be a different story. And yet if we are to love as God does, to love unconditionally means that we love people no matter what. How can we do that?

In New Zealand 43% of birds don’t have wings, they have little stumps instead. Why? Because they have no predators in New Zealand, they have no reason for wings because there is no one for them to try and get away from, they have no reason to fly. *Something they should be able to do doesn’t happen because their surroundings don’t push them. *

Then you have aeroplanes don’t fly along with the wind, but instead they fly into it. Flying into the wind and the resistance pushes the plane upwards allowing it to take off and fly. It uses the wind which is going against it to its advantage utilising the resistance for take-off.

Sometimes it can be the things that go against you that you need in order for God to make you into the person he needs you do be and to develop the gifts he has given you. This also includes people, some people are there and can make things a little bit more difficult for us, but if we can see them as people who will help us develop into the person God needs us to be, or to help us learn something it can be a lot easier for us to love them instead of feeling negatively towards them.

Look at the example Jesus gives us throughout his trial and his death on the cross. Throughout his trial his character and what he had done in his life were under attack. And yet, he didn’t argue, he didn’t try and explain himself, he let them say everything they wanted to and let the people call for his crucifixion.

Then on the cross, which he was forced to carry himself, he was continually mocked and spat at, and what was his response? Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive these people, because they don’t know what they are doing”. Despite what the people were doing or saying to him, instead of holding it against him he showed a great act of love by forgiving them.

As we love unconditionally, we have to forgive unconditionally.

However, it is never God’s intention to leave us in a battle. In fact, in some cases, he will fight them for us.

In 2 Samuel Chapter 10 we see the perfect example of this through King David. David had sent representatives to the Ammonites as their King had just died to show support to his son, the new King. However due to the wrong intel, King Hanun thought they were coming to scout out the land in order to take it from them.

When King David’s men arrived, they were taken, their beards were half saved and their garments were cut in order to bring about humiliation to the men.

When King David heard what had happened, he sent them to Jerusalem to let their beards grow back before they came back. He was going to deal with King Hanun. King David readied his troops and sent his army back to Ammon, however once the Ammonites realised the size of David’s army they retreated and gathered more warriors.

King David himself then came and led the charge against the Ammonites and won the battle against them.

King David fought the battle for his two representatives that were humiliated, they let their king handle it. We need to let God fight our battles and leave them with him.

So that we can love unconditionally, we have to let God fight our battles for us.

“Do not be afraid of the nations there, for the LORD you God will fight for you”

Deuteronomy 3:22 (NLT)

“I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.”

Genesis 12:3 (NLT)

“The LORD himself will fight for you. You won’t have to lift a finger in your defence!”.

Exodus 14:14 (NLT)

If we have everything in place that we have learnt from this series, humility, integrity, love, courage etc, then we can be like the aeroplanes who use the resistance to their advantage to get up into the air. Use the things, even the people, that go against you to get you up, to get you to the place God needs you to be in for his work.

L– Love brings life. Hatred brings Death.

O– Overcomes- love overcomes everything, fear, worry, jealousy, pride.

V– Victory- victory brings freedom.

E– Everyone- love everyone.

Written by Stephen Crawford