A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.   John 13:35 NKJV

People often mistake love and kindness for weakness, but it takes much more strength to love than it does to hate. Oh it’s easy enough to love those who love you back. It’s easy to love those who are kind and caring. But it’s a whole other ball game to love those who are mean spirited and plot evil against you.

But Jesus ‘ said in Matthew 5:44, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” My friend this is not easy, it’s not for weaklings. It takes God given strength to do this.

If we fail to show love, we are no different than anyone else in this sin-filled, hate-filled world. We are told in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 that without love we are nothing. We are also told that no matter what good works we do, without love we profit nothing.

If we all adhered to Jesus’ commandment to love one another, just imagine how different this world would be. We would not need a military because wars would cease. We would not need a police force because there would be no fighting or hatred. It would be like heaven on earth. This is the way God intended for it to be in the Garden of Eden, but the serpent came in and sin entered the world and that has influenced how we live today.

There is coming a day, however, when sin will be no more. The devil and those who follow Him will be thrown into the lake of fire where they will be tormented day and night forever (Revelation 20:10). And in Revelation 21:4 we are told that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes; there shall be no more death, sorrow, or crying. There will be no more pain for the former things have passed away.

I don’t know about you, but I so look forward to this time. None of us know when it will be, but we can be prepared for it. We prepare by showing love to others. I know it’s not as easy as it sounds, but as Christians it is required of us. It’s not optional.

We must follow Him and be His disciple to get into heaven. And in order for us to follow Him, we must show love to others even when it’s not so easy. Pray to Him and He will help you when the going gets tough.

He will help you to love those who aren’t so lovable. He will help you to show love when your flesh wants you to show anger and hatred. Trust in Him and He will guide you through this. This will allow you to help others who are going through similar experiences.

When you are trying to love someone who has come against you, you may just want to think about how Christ loved us. He gave His life for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). When we came against Him as His enemy with our sinful behavior, He loved us enough to die on the cross to save us from our sins. My friend if that isn’t love I don’t know what is.

If he hadn’t done this, we would all be doomed to hell. We would have no hope. So, keep that in mind when you are having a hard time loving someone who has come against you. And think about this-without His love where would you be?

I hope this will make it easier for you to show some love to others even those who have hurt you.

Have a great day!