When so much is happening in our world that is negative and contrary to the truth, it is too easy to let our love grow cold when we relate to people who hold a differing opinion about life and faith. A cold love is an unresponsive love based on our limited perceptions about God and His Kingdom.

The writer of Hebrews wrote, “Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who will inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance” (Hebrews 6:11-12).

Our life-long commitment to love even our enemies is not easy to do. It is a choice we are told to make “as long as life lasts.” We are never given a pass on that commitment. Our commitment to love the unlovely links us to a supernatural hope found only in Jesus Christ. Without expressing love, we will begin to slide down the slope of our faith toward a place of hopelessness. At some point in our descent, we will become “spiritually dull and indifferent, no longer hearing or recognizing the voice of God.

Our testimony of loving those who oppose God’s truth links us to the faithful ones who went before us. When those faithful ones came to a critical moment in their faith journey, when they could have abandoned love and followed the direction of the flesh, they submitted to God’s love instead. Those assembled in eternity and described as “the great cloud of witnesses” made that choice. It is our choice as long as our life lasts.