Growing up, I heard sayings such as, “You can catch more flies with honey.” I guess people may not say things like this as often these days, but I prayed and asked God to help me know what to write in today’s blog. He impressed upon me to write about love. Love is essential to the Christian walk. As believers, we must remember that our expressions of love will help lead others to God. How we love should line up with Christ’s teachings in the Bible. If we possess a sweet, genuine love from God, it will attract and not deter, but to do that, we must fully understand what it means to have a Christ-like love.
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As we learn what the Bible says and apply it to our lives, it is easy for Christians to forget that He loved each of us first, even while we were sinners and a mess. Many well-meaning Christians who are zealous for Christ can fall into the enemy’s trap and forget that it is not our job to judge or condemn others but to love them. As divided as our world can be, we must remember that God’s Word calls us to love.
Love is mentioned so many times in the scriptures. The Bible specifically talks about loving God, mother, brother, neighbor, and enemies. Let’s carefully examine what the Bible says about who we should love and then pray to ask God to show us how to love as He would have us.
Christ-Like Love For God
Scripture states that if we love the Lord, we will love others. The Bible says that anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love (1 John 4:8). As we look at each verse that talks about love, it is clear that love is not just a feeling or a word but requires committed actions. God tells us not to love in word or talk but in deed and truth (1 John 3:18). We are instructed to love the Lord God with all our hearts and souls and with all our might (Deuteronomy 6:5).
We know that the enemy will always fight us when we try to do the right thing, and I am convinced this is why the Bible tells us to love God with all of our might. The single most crucial action that reveals whether we truly love God is when we choose to keep His commandments (John 14:15), and He has commanded us to love others as He has loved us.
Christ-Like Love For Your Neighbor
The Bible tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Galatians 5:14). When we read this statement, it is easy to quickly check it off the list and assume we already love our neighbors. The problem is that we may not understand God’s definition of neighbor. It is easy to love a neighbor when we define them as those who live close by or in our small neighborhood, but Jesus clarified the word neighbor when asked, “Who is my neighbor? To respond to the question, Jesus told a parable of the good Samaritan.
The parable explains that a man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. A priest went down that same road, saw the man, and instead of helping, he passed by on the other side. A Levite also came to the place and saw him but passed by on the other side.
Next, a Samaritan came to where the man was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his animal, brought him to an inn, and cared for him. And the next day, he paid the innkeeper, saying, “Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.” After telling the parable, Jesus asked, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” The answer was “The one who showed him mercy.”
From this parable, we learn that a neighbor is whomever you come in contact with throughout your day. A neighbor is someone with whom you can share God’s love. Neighbors may not be your race or gender or have the same religious beliefs, but if we love as God commands, we will not love based on prejudices and biases. As Christians who love God, we should all be like the good Samaritan and never overlook someone who needs help. We should be looking for people God may place along our path. We must never be so busy that we pass by on the other side.
Christ-Like Love For Your Mother and Brother
When we think of loving our mother and brother, we think of our family members, but Jesus helps us understand that his definition of family includes all who love God. According to Matthew 12:46-50, While Jesus was still speaking to the people, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to talk to him. Jesus replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” and, stretching out his hand toward his disciples, said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, sister, and mother.”
Jesus gives a whole new meaning to the family. Many times at church, we call each other brother and sister and consider each other our church family. I believe Jesus would challenge us to love the people in our household, the people in our church pews, and the Christians who attend the church down the road or across the world.
The Bible states that we cannot love God and hate our brother (1 John 4:20). It may take work to love, but this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother (1 John 4:21). In 1 Peter 4:8, we are told to keep loving each other earnestly since love covers a multitude of sins. There are times when we will be hurt by those close to us. There will be times when we must choose to show love. Those choices honor God and show that we are willing to obey His command.
Loving each other will take humility, gentleness, and patience, but we must bear with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2). No matter what, settling arguments and bad feelings is crucial. Sometimes, that is easiest to do when we remember that no one is perfect and we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We have to choose to offer forgiveness to others because God gave it to us.
Christ-Like Love For Your Enemy
We understand that we are to love others, but what does the Bible say about loving our enemies? According to the Scriptures, enemies are those who persecute us or hate us. When others try to hurt us, it is natural to want to get angry and get revenge. It is a supernatural ability that only God can give us to help us love our enemies. Jesus teaches that we are to love and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44) and those who hate us (Luke 6:27). We are to bless them and not curse them (Romans 12:14).
The Bible clearly states that the world will hate us as it hated Christ (John 15:18-19), but we are not to act like those in the world. We are to represent God’s love and pray for others. Christ showed us this by example as He prayed for us and asked for our forgiveness while dying on the cross.
A person who is not a child of God cannot live a life of love because love is from God. Those who love have been born of God and know God (1 John 4:7). We must remember that we were not always children of God either. We must be love to others so that they can see the light of God’s love, and we must remember that we love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). God wants all to come to repentance and experience salvation, and it is our job to help shine a light into a dark world.
Let’s Pray and Ask God To Help Us Have Christ-Like Love
To love how God wants us to will require patience and surrendering wholeheartedly to God’s will. We will need to learn to look at every situation through the eyes of faith and love, which will be contrary to our knee-jerk reactions. To love as God would want us to, we must pray and ask Him to help us. Let’s pray and ask God to help us love everyone with a Christ-like love today.
I enjoyed this very much. We know what God wants us to do, but it’s great to see it in print. It is like a reminder.
Aunt Myrna we all need reminders. I am so glad HE is patient with us. Pray for me as I pray for you!