Love & Appreciation
The Power of Love, Appreciation, and Intercession
There's something profoundly transformative about seeing people through God's eyes rather than our own. In a world where hurt feelings, betrayals, and disappointments can harden our hearts, we're called to something radically different—to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, and intercede on behalf of those who may not deserve it.
This isn't natural. It's supernatural.
When Family Gatherings Reveal Our Hearts
Picture a typical family dinner. Everyone's gathered around the table, and tensions simmer beneath polite conversation. Old wounds haven't healed. Past offenses haven't been forgotten. Someone says something inappropriate, and the atmosphere shifts.
We've all been there. We remember the terrible things people have said and done. But here's the challenge: we don't have to remain in that place of bitterness. Instead of rehearsing their faults, we can take our frustrations to our prayer closet and intercede for them.
When a mother sees her son struggling in school, her daughter battling teenage attitudes, and her husband having terrible days, she has a choice. She can criticize, correct, and condemn—or she can pray. Real love doesn't ignore problems; it takes them to the throne of grace.
Abraham's Radical Intercession
The story of Abraham interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah reveals something beautiful about the heart of intercession. Abraham's nephew Lot had settled near Sodom—not quite in the wicked city, but dangerously close to it.
When God revealed His plan to destroy these cities, Abraham didn't shrug and say, "They deserve it." Instead, he began one of the most remarkable negotiations in Scripture. "What if there are fifty righteous people? Would you spare the city for their sake?"
God agreed.
But Abraham wasn't done. He kept reducing the number—forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, and finally ten. With each reduction, something extraordinary happened: God's grace didn't diminish; it expanded. The smaller the number, the greater the grace required to cover the whole city.
Abraham wasn't really looking for fifty righteous people. He was interceding for one—his nephew who dwelt near wickedness. And he was willing to plead with God on behalf of people he didn't even know, just to save the one he loved.
Have you ever been so close to someone doing wrong that you suffered consequences too? Like being punished in basic training because a fellow recruit broke the rules? Lot was near Sodom, and Abraham knew that proximity to wickedness can be dangerous. But instead of abandoning his nephew, he stood in the gap.
Jesus: The Ultimate Intercessor
If Abraham's intercession was remarkable, Jesus' intercession is breathtaking.
Picture the scene: Jesus hangs on a cross, nails driven through His hands and feet. He's been betrayed, arrested unjustly, beaten, spit upon, and mocked. The very people He came to save are executing Him in the most humiliating way possible.
In that moment of excruciating pain, what does He say?
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Not a curse. Not condemnation. Forgiveness.
This wasn't just a hard thing to do—it was a heart thing. Jesus could intercede for His executioners because He saw them through the Father's eyes. He understood that even in their wickedness, they were made in God's image and desperately needed redemption.
And here's the beautiful truth: Jesus continues to intercede for us. Romans 8:34 tells us that Christ, who died and was raised, now sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us. He advocates for those who don't deserve it, who turn their backs on Him, who ignore His love.
That's the God we serve—one who wishes that none should perish but that all would come to repentance.
The Heart Change Required
Loving those who love us is easy. Even tax collectors—the most despised people in Jewish society—loved those who loved them back. There's no reward in selective love.
Jesus calls us to something higher: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven."
Why? Because God "causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." God doesn't withhold His blessings from the wicked. He continues to show them mercy, hoping they'll turn to Him.
If God can do that, shouldn't we?
This requires a heart transformation. We live in an age of heightened emotions and diminished faith. We say we trust God, but when it comes to actually obeying His command to love our enemies, we balk. We want to pray for those who treat us well but ignore those who hurt us.
That's not Christianity. That's selective kindness.
The Pruning Process
Becoming people who genuinely love and appreciate others—even those who've wounded us—requires pruning. The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword, cutting away the poison of bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness.
Pruning isn't comfortable. It involves cutting away parts of ourselves we've held onto—pride, anger, frustration, past hurts. But it's necessary if we want to bear fruit for God's kingdom.
Consider the parent who hasn't heard from their adult child in over a year. The pain is real. The heartbreak is crushing. But what can they do? They can intercede. They can pray, "God, I don't know where she is or what she's doing, but You do. Send Your love to her. Change her heart. Bring her home."
That's the power of intercession—reaching people we can't physically reach through the God who can reach anyone, anywhere.
Greeting the World with God's Love
Sometimes intercession looks like prayer. Sometimes it looks like a simple smile.
Consider the person standing on a bridge, contemplating ending their life. One smile from a passing stranger gave them hope to keep living. They felt seen. Recognized. Valued.
We never know what battles people are fighting. That person at Starbucks who looks unapproachable might be having the worst day of their life. Your greeting, your smile, your acknowledgment of their humanity might be the thread of hope they desperately need.
Don't just greet those who are like you, who believe like you, who attend your church. Greet everyone with the love of Christ. Show appreciation for the image of God in every person you encounter.
Walking in Pending Blessings
When we intercede for others, when we love without expecting anything in return, when we give freely, God sees. He rewards those who do His will on earth, often in unexpected ways.
Walk around with a mindset of pending blessings. Like a deposit that shows up in your bank account before it clears, blessings are on their way. You may not see them today or tomorrow. They might not even come to you—they might pass to the next generation like a Teflon blessing that slides from you to your children and grandchildren.
But they're coming, because you were willing.
Willing to forgive. Willing to intercede. Willing to love when it wasn't deserved. Willing to see people through God's eyes rather than your own.
That's the call—to be holy as our Father in heaven is holy, to be perfect as He is perfect, to love as He loves.
Not because it's easy, but because it reflects the heart of the One who loved us first.
There's something profoundly transformative about seeing people through God's eyes rather than our own. In a world where hurt feelings, betrayals, and disappointments can harden our hearts, we're called to something radically different—to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, and intercede on behalf of those who may not deserve it.
This isn't natural. It's supernatural.
When Family Gatherings Reveal Our Hearts
Picture a typical family dinner. Everyone's gathered around the table, and tensions simmer beneath polite conversation. Old wounds haven't healed. Past offenses haven't been forgotten. Someone says something inappropriate, and the atmosphere shifts.
We've all been there. We remember the terrible things people have said and done. But here's the challenge: we don't have to remain in that place of bitterness. Instead of rehearsing their faults, we can take our frustrations to our prayer closet and intercede for them.
When a mother sees her son struggling in school, her daughter battling teenage attitudes, and her husband having terrible days, she has a choice. She can criticize, correct, and condemn—or she can pray. Real love doesn't ignore problems; it takes them to the throne of grace.
Abraham's Radical Intercession
The story of Abraham interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah reveals something beautiful about the heart of intercession. Abraham's nephew Lot had settled near Sodom—not quite in the wicked city, but dangerously close to it.
When God revealed His plan to destroy these cities, Abraham didn't shrug and say, "They deserve it." Instead, he began one of the most remarkable negotiations in Scripture. "What if there are fifty righteous people? Would you spare the city for their sake?"
God agreed.
But Abraham wasn't done. He kept reducing the number—forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, and finally ten. With each reduction, something extraordinary happened: God's grace didn't diminish; it expanded. The smaller the number, the greater the grace required to cover the whole city.
Abraham wasn't really looking for fifty righteous people. He was interceding for one—his nephew who dwelt near wickedness. And he was willing to plead with God on behalf of people he didn't even know, just to save the one he loved.
Have you ever been so close to someone doing wrong that you suffered consequences too? Like being punished in basic training because a fellow recruit broke the rules? Lot was near Sodom, and Abraham knew that proximity to wickedness can be dangerous. But instead of abandoning his nephew, he stood in the gap.
Jesus: The Ultimate Intercessor
If Abraham's intercession was remarkable, Jesus' intercession is breathtaking.
Picture the scene: Jesus hangs on a cross, nails driven through His hands and feet. He's been betrayed, arrested unjustly, beaten, spit upon, and mocked. The very people He came to save are executing Him in the most humiliating way possible.
In that moment of excruciating pain, what does He say?
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Not a curse. Not condemnation. Forgiveness.
This wasn't just a hard thing to do—it was a heart thing. Jesus could intercede for His executioners because He saw them through the Father's eyes. He understood that even in their wickedness, they were made in God's image and desperately needed redemption.
And here's the beautiful truth: Jesus continues to intercede for us. Romans 8:34 tells us that Christ, who died and was raised, now sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us. He advocates for those who don't deserve it, who turn their backs on Him, who ignore His love.
That's the God we serve—one who wishes that none should perish but that all would come to repentance.
The Heart Change Required
Loving those who love us is easy. Even tax collectors—the most despised people in Jewish society—loved those who loved them back. There's no reward in selective love.
Jesus calls us to something higher: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven."
Why? Because God "causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." God doesn't withhold His blessings from the wicked. He continues to show them mercy, hoping they'll turn to Him.
If God can do that, shouldn't we?
This requires a heart transformation. We live in an age of heightened emotions and diminished faith. We say we trust God, but when it comes to actually obeying His command to love our enemies, we balk. We want to pray for those who treat us well but ignore those who hurt us.
That's not Christianity. That's selective kindness.
The Pruning Process
Becoming people who genuinely love and appreciate others—even those who've wounded us—requires pruning. The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword, cutting away the poison of bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness.
Pruning isn't comfortable. It involves cutting away parts of ourselves we've held onto—pride, anger, frustration, past hurts. But it's necessary if we want to bear fruit for God's kingdom.
Consider the parent who hasn't heard from their adult child in over a year. The pain is real. The heartbreak is crushing. But what can they do? They can intercede. They can pray, "God, I don't know where she is or what she's doing, but You do. Send Your love to her. Change her heart. Bring her home."
That's the power of intercession—reaching people we can't physically reach through the God who can reach anyone, anywhere.
Greeting the World with God's Love
Sometimes intercession looks like prayer. Sometimes it looks like a simple smile.
Consider the person standing on a bridge, contemplating ending their life. One smile from a passing stranger gave them hope to keep living. They felt seen. Recognized. Valued.
We never know what battles people are fighting. That person at Starbucks who looks unapproachable might be having the worst day of their life. Your greeting, your smile, your acknowledgment of their humanity might be the thread of hope they desperately need.
Don't just greet those who are like you, who believe like you, who attend your church. Greet everyone with the love of Christ. Show appreciation for the image of God in every person you encounter.
Walking in Pending Blessings
When we intercede for others, when we love without expecting anything in return, when we give freely, God sees. He rewards those who do His will on earth, often in unexpected ways.
Walk around with a mindset of pending blessings. Like a deposit that shows up in your bank account before it clears, blessings are on their way. You may not see them today or tomorrow. They might not even come to you—they might pass to the next generation like a Teflon blessing that slides from you to your children and grandchildren.
But they're coming, because you were willing.
Willing to forgive. Willing to intercede. Willing to love when it wasn't deserved. Willing to see people through God's eyes rather than your own.
That's the call—to be holy as our Father in heaven is holy, to be perfect as He is perfect, to love as He loves.
Not because it's easy, but because it reflects the heart of the One who loved us first.
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