Loving People

Loving People

By Apostle Felix

8  The one who doesn’t love has yet to know God, for God is love. 
9  The light of God’s love shined within us when he sent his matchless Son into the world so that we might live through him. 
10  This is love: He loved us long before we loved him. It was his love, not ours. He proved it by sending his Son to be the pleasing sacrificial offering to take away our sins. 
11  Delightfully loved ones, if he loved us with such tremendous love, then “loving one another” should be our way of life! 
12  No one has ever gazed upon the fullness of God’s splendor. But if we love one another, God makes his permanent home in us, and we make our permanent home in him, and his love is brought to its full expression in us.

Galatians 4: 8 – 12

Loving people is a way of life for a believer. Whosoever is born of God loves people. Both hate and love cannot dwell in one place. The two natures are antagonistic against each other. Loving other people is an evidence that God dwells in you. It is not possible to love people, those that offend you, without the love of God. It takes the love of God in your heart to love people unconditionally. Jesus commanded us to our enemies and bless them. That was not a norm under the law. The law demanded an eye for an eye, and tooth for tooth.

38  “Your ancestors have also been taught, ‘Take an eye in exchange for an eye and a tooth in exchange for a tooth.’
39  However, I say to you, don’t repay an evil act with another evil act. But whoever insults you by slapping you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well.
40  If someone is determined to sue you for your coat, give him the shirt off your back as a gift in return. 

Matthew 5: 38 – 40

Love does not repay an evil act with an evil act, because it does not keep a record of wrongs. The love of God in our hearts distinguishes us from the people of the world. In the world, love is on transactional basis. The people of this world will love you as long as continue doing good for them. But love stops with the end of probably giving to them. Jesus addressed this kind love in the gospel of Luke.

32  “Are you really showing true love by only loving those who love you back? Even those who don’t know God will do that.
33  Are you really showing compassion when you do good deeds only to those who do good deeds to you? Even those who don’t know God will do that.

Luke 6: 32, 33

It is easier to love those that love you. The hardest part of love is to love those that are ill-treating and speaking bad of you. In church, there will always be one who is has been anointed of the devil to gossip and back stab the brethren. This individual is like an informant, carrying tales from person to person. They go about planting discord among the brethren, causing division in the church. Loving people becomes a challenge in such an environment where strife and sander had been sown. However, the only remedy to cure the church of division is to employ the love of God. This is because the love of God does not keep a record of wrongs.

5  Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense.
6  Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong.

1 Corinthians 13: 5, 6

In order to love like God, you and I need to do away with a record of wrongs. It is not possible to love people while keeping a record of wrongs. God loved us while we were still sinners. It is not our repentance that made God to love us. Instead, it is His love that made us to repentance.

4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 

Romans 2: 4

The goodness of God is the byproduct of His love. We repent and realize how much God loves us when we experience His goodness. How will people come to know God in the church, our communities and workplaces? It is only when we allow the goodness of God manifest through towards the people. Do good to all men regardless of who they are. It is unfortunate that in the church today, believers consider carnal things such as the color of your skin, social status, and sometimes one’s marital status before they can actually treat you honorably. James refuted partiality in the church.

1  My dear brothers and sisters, fellow believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ—how could we say that we have faith in him and yet we favor one group of people above another?
2  Suppose an influential man comes into your worship meeting wearing gold rings and expensive clothing, and also a homeless man in shabby clothes comes in.
3  If you show special attention to the rich man in expensive clothes and say, “Here’s a seat of honor for you right up front!” but you turn and say to the poor beggar dressed in rags, “You can stand over here,” or “Sit over there on the floor in the back,”

James 2: 1 – 3

Love is impartial. It treats people as the image of God. Of course, you can respect where respect is due, but not on the expense of bringing one down. Respect people. Love has a way of honoring people regardless of who they are.