Love; Drill Down!

January 8, 2026

Love; Drill Down!

Sometimes we just don’t stick with it! 

“It” may be our diet plan, our exercise plan, or our college plan.  “It” may be our prayer plan, our career advancement plan, or our study plan.  Too often, we give in to the discomfort of the necessary discipline or we compromise the goal until we quit or we simply get distracted by other things.

Sometimes we just don’t stick with it!

Love is one of the things with which most of us struggle from time to time.  Many have experienced the pain of divorce, others are experiencing stress and strain in a relationship, and others are living in a relationship that seems empty.

Just like our diet plan or our prayer plan or our study plan for the new year, there are too many times when we just don’t stick with our commitment to love the Lord or to love another person.  We can blame the other person, we can be paralyzed with shame, or we can allow ourselves to be distracted to the point that our love for Jesus or our love for another person slowly evaporates. 

Sometimes we just don’t stick with it!

Love is beautiful, life transforming, and sometimes effortless.  There are other times, when love requires re-building a broken trust, doing the hard work of forgiving, and giving more than we thought we could give.  When love requires focus and effort and time, we sometimes just don’t stick with it.

The Apostle Paul writes a letter to the churches in Rome during the first century.  While the churches are experiencing intense persecution by the Roman government, Paul writes to encourage them. 

For some of the Christ-followers in Rome, faith is waning while for others false teaching is creeping in.  Paul sees what is happening to people of faith in Rome when life and love and faith are difficult.  In Romans 12:10 Paul writes; “…love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.”

Paul reminds the people in Rome that even when life is a struggle, they are still called to love one another.  The love about which Paul writes is not just a sentimental love; it is a love that respects and honors and builds up the other person! 

Paul tells the Christ-followers in Rome to love in a way that shows honor to the other person.  He is also clear that the kind of love about which he is speaking will always outdo the other person in showing honor.  In other words, this kind of love will build up the other person.

In his letter to the church at Philippi (Philippians 1:9), the Apostle Paul writes; “And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight…”  Paul again calls us to go deeper…to drill down…in our love for one another.  He speaks of the kind of love that overflows out of our heart into the life of another person.

Again, this is not the kind of love that is just sentimental and romantic; this is the kind of love that goes deep into our heart, mind, and soul and is expressed in practical ways.

The Apostle Peter experienced a night when his love failed.  Peter denies he knows Jesus when Jesus needed him most.  Peter knows he has not loved like Jesus was teaching him to love.  Peter quit on love.

Sometimes we just don’t stick with it!

The good news is Jesus never gives up on loving you and me.  In John 21:15 we hear; “When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’  He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’”

Jesus asks Peter three times if he still loves the Lord.  Each time, Peter states that he loves Jesus.  And each time, Jesus tells Peter to go and express his love in practical ways; i.e., “feed my lambs.”

When we fail to stick with loving Jesus or loving another person, remember that when things are difficult (i.e., fear, sadness, hurt, anger, unforgiveness, etc.) it is easy to give up on love.  Paul and Jesus invite us to remember that love is more than a sentimental feeling; love endures the hard times, love is expressed in practical ways, love does not quit. 

Instead, love drills down deeper and deeper until its power transforms our life and the life of others.  When we experience love in these ways, our heart fills with delight in what the Lord has done, is doing now, and will do tomorrow.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug