The motivation for calling and ministry is love. Love does things for the benefit of another/others. We love because He loved us first, and should love the way He does.
Love:
- Sees
- Cares
- Provides
- Equips
- Strengthens
- Follows-up
- Replenishes
Love doesn’t:
- Seek its own
- Just feel good thoughts and not act
- Protect its position
- Thwart others
- Destroy others
- Ignore the needs of those it’s called to bless
“But what if I don’t like them or they scare me?” For Christians, the command to love comes in the context of Christ’s love, a love that caused Him to give to those that hated Him and had acted against Him. He said that truly loving meant loving those that would not love us back and even loving our enemies. He implied that the love that we have been given would meet the needs of their hearts and lives. He would give them that love through us as we obediently loved them.
The answer to the question of whether you have a calling to those you don’t like has nothing to do with whether you like them. The answer must be found elsewhere. As you seek Him for that answer, please know that you will have grace given to you as you step forward in faith — grace usually does not follow your feelings, but rather accompanies and enables obedience. As you seek God’s help, you will be able to love even the unlovely — those who do terrible things to others. The unlovely need a savior too.
Keywords: Christian, love, enemy, unlovely, calling