Yes, God has called us to love. To love Him first and far most, to love your neighbors as yourself. Jehovah God, the creator of heaven and earth is love, He is the source of love, for I tell you today that love started with God, it is all God. Humans is not capable of love they don’t have the proficient to love because of their sinful nature, their wicked hearts. Because of the imperfection of human flesh, man will always fail to show love in a pure nature, man’s thoughts will always be evil and sinfully motivated. God tell every human that their thoughts are nowhere close to His thoughts and ways, in fact the Bible puts it this way, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways”, declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8)
God is First
(Deuteronomy 6:5) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength”. This scripture tells How to love God, and love with all that is within you. Read (Matthew 22:37) and see how Jesus tells us to love God. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”. In other words, God wants us to love Him with our whole being, with every possible way that a man born in sin and iniquity can love a Holy God. Jesus Christ, God’s only son taught people to love God the Father with everything they are, He said this is the first and greatest commandments, in “verse 38”. Jesus did not leave us alone to do all the work by ourselves, He said to His disciples, “But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you”. (John 14:26) Holy Spirit is who helps us to do the works of God, as I point out it “helps” you to love God, to love others, and by doing so you obey His commandments.
Love One Another
This is the second commandment of how to love. In (John 13:34) Jesus taught, “A new command I give unto you; that you Love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another”. This is a simple command, yet we consistently fail to comprehend it and obey it. What is the reason for this? To be connected to God “we need to love”. In (John 13:35,) Jesus establishes mutual love as the distinctive mark of all Christian: He said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”. And believe me, I know that some people are hard to love, some are impossible to love within your own might, but “with God all things is possible” Jesus told His disciples concerning the question they ask of the young rich man being saved. Jesus beheld them and said unto them, “With men this is impossible; but with God ALL things are possible”. Even to love your enemies. I believe the entire chapter is essential to be considered, because it hinges on the greatest gift given “Love”. when we look at the human state of man, he is but shameful and pitiful living his life to save it, rather than giving up his life for Christ’s sake. “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it”. (Matthew 16:25-26). For example, the apostle Peter said unto Jesus, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. But Jesus knowing the heart of Peter said, “Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice”. Peter loved Jesus, and probably when he said it, he meant it as much as he could humanly possible. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Man promises to love and obey God is just like Peter promise. In the middle of man’s storm, he promises to obey the Word of God, the Bible, to trust God, to walk by faith in righteousness and sin not. But man will fail constantly, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, man is sinful, created in sin and iniquity, his heart is stoney, he needs a heart of flesh, he needs a heart that can love, he needs God. That is what Jesus Christ came down from heaven to give man. God seeing the condition of man sent His love, grace and mercy to earth to save mankind from his sin. God is Love, and everything hinges on love. Jesus taught His disciples that the entire law and prophets are summed up in the commands to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Mark 12:28-31).
Love Your Enemies
I believe when Jesus said love your enemies, He was creating a standard for relationships. Take for example, when He preached the Sermon on the Mount to the listening crowds, they already knew that they were commanded to love their neighbor because of the law of God (Leviticus 19:18). Because the law said “love your neighbors, the Jews in Jesus day thought they were to hate their enemies. No doubt the Pharisee misapplied the Old Testament law about hatred for God’s enemies (Psalm 140:9). But Jesus replaced this idea with a higher standard: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44-45). Today Christians assume just as the Jews thought in Jesus’s days, to only love believers who are saved in Jesus Christ, only people who go to church. That is correct, we should love the Brothern, the Bible say so. Jesus explains that loving those who love us is easy and even unbeliever can do that. But Jesus said to us who are believers “to be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” But God the Father commanded believers to “Love” all people. The Bible tells us to love and not hate, so the Pharisee misapplied the scriptures, they didn’t know how to speak of their enemies, they assumed they were to hate their enemies, so today Christians feel the same way, they hate people who don’t go to church, and people who are sinners and not saved.
But remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. (Matthew 5:43-44)
“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. For He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same”?
Psalm 140 of King David, says. “I said unto the Lord, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord. (v6) O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. (v7) Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device; lest they exalt themselves. (v8) That is the way King David spoke of his enemies.
But Jesus brought a new standard to the table. Jesus said love your enemies, pray for your enemies, even forgive your enemies. He replaced the old law with a new standard “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of the Father in Heaven”. (Matthew 5:44-45)
When Jesus explained the Parable of the Good Samaritan to a Pharisee, He explained to His followers that they must demonstrate love to all kinds of people, no matter what faith, nationality, personality, and that includes enemies. I believe if you can love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, as a Christian you will be on the path of revealing that Jesus is “Lord of your life”!!!
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. (John3:16)
Praise The Lord!!!
JEWELS FOR THE SOUL 