Love

By far the most important and effective attitude Christians can have or action they can perform is love, especially in this time of international and domestic conflict.

Jesus said:

“’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39

Love for God

First and foremost, we must love God with our entire being. Why?

“God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8) Love reflects the very nature of God.

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10) Our love for God is a natural response to his love for us.

By contrast, we should not love the sinful aspects of this world, indulging in the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. (1 John 2:15,16)

Love for Our Enemies

Jesus said, “Love your enemies.” (Matthew 5:44)

Why should we love our enemies? Because God has shown love to his enemies – us!

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. . . If when we were enemies we were reconciled through the death of His Son . . .” (Romans 5:8, 10)

“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death.” (Colossians 1:21-22)

How can we love our enemies?

We do not naturally love those who have not shown love to others, especially those who have harmed us. How can we love those who do not love God or their neighbors, including us?

We begin with humble repentance.

“In Your sight no one living is righteous.” (Psalm 143:2)

“There is none righteous, no, not one. . . All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:10, 23)

It is so easy to feel outrage towards those who have hurt others or offended us. That outrage reflects our creation in the moral image of God.

But we all too quickly allow our righteous indignation to turn into unholy resentment, rage, and even hatred. We despise those whom we consider to be morally inferior. We speak words of contempt, or worse.

But Jesus says, “Judge not” – that is, do not condemn others – “lest you be judged,” and warns us against the hypocrisy of a self-righteous condemnation of others while we are guilty of similar offenses against God. (Matthew 7:1-5)

Some Hard Questions to Ask Myself

  • Have I shown discrimination on the basis of outward appearance? (Skin color, attire, beauty, physical condition, gender, etc.)

  • Have I ignored the plea of others for help?

  • Have I treated others with excessive harshness, even force?

  • Have I abused my authority over others?

  • Have I stolen what is not mine? (Not doing work for which I’m paid, not giving others their due, etc.)

  • Have I failed to warn people of danger, especially the impending judgment of God?

  • Have I spoken unkind or even hateful words in anger?

  • Have I been guilty of lies or slander?

  • Have I disobeyed the laws of the land? (Traffic laws, etc.)

  • Have I shown disrespect for authority? (Guidelines about social distancing, etc.)

“Pursue love!” (1 Corinthians 14:1)

National leaders are hurling accusations against each other.

The US is wracked by the worst social unrest since the 1960s, and the air is filled with words of contempt and hatred.

May we all humble ourselves, meditate upon God’s love for us in Christ, and beg him to give us his love for others.