Love Is Not Resentful

(Love) “doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.”  I Corinthians 13:5

Webster’s Dictionary defines the verb “resent” as “to feel or show displeasure and indignation at some act or remark or toward a person from a sense of being injured or offended.”  I am all too familiar with this term as I have felt resentment for various reasons from time to time.  Anger, jealousy, and resentment are emotional traits of our sinful nature.  I think about Jonah whom God told to go to Nineveh (across the Tigris River from present day Mosul, Iraq), and tell them that He was about to judge them for their wickedness.  However, Jonah refused.  We all know how that turned out–Jonah in the belly of a great fish among the seaweed and stomach acid, which certainly gave him time to consider that obeying God’s order was a lot better than the inside of a giant sea creature.  I imagine Jonah’s bitter attitude made the great fish sick at its stomach so it spit him out after three days at God’s direction, of course.

God hadn’t changed His mind about Jonah’s mission and again told him to go to Nineveh and preach.  This time Jonah obeyed, likely reluctantly, but he did go.  His preaching must have been powerful for the people of Nineveh listened and took God’s warning seriously, repenting of their sin.  Thus God did not bring judgment upon them.  For some reason, that made Jonah angry.  Rather than rejoicing that judgment was halted and the people had come to honor the LORD, Jonah resented the fact that they had repented and avoided God’s wrath.  Instead of loving, he became hateful.  I don’t exactly know why he became so resentful.  He must have had some deep-seated issues that needed some real soul searching.  Also, he was angry at how the Ninevites had dishonored the LORD God of Israel and apparently didn’t think they deserved mercy even after they repented.

Joseph had ten brothers who were resentful of him because he was favored by their father Jacob.  When they had the opportunity, they sold Joseph into slavery, but when they finally met up with him again several years later, he was not resentful, but showed them love and compassion.  David had brothers, also, who were resentful that he was the one, the youngest of them all, who was anointed by Samuel to become king of Israel in a few short years.

I remember a time when I was passed over for a promotion at work with the position going to someone hired without the company.  I resented the fact that I had worked hard, yet wasn’t considered for the position.  I even told the owner of the company that was a blow to any incentive that I had.  I did continue to work for the company and do my job the best I knew how, and was rewarded later on with a promotion.  It takes a lot of prayer to overcome resentment and other traits which are antithetical to genuine love.  We must lean on Christ, repenting and asking Him to help us through the Holy Spirit.

Love is not a feeling; It’s a decision that we make.  That’s how we love the unlovely; We love for Jesus’ sake.