“Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.” This is a quote from 1 John and can be found in Chapter 4, verse 7. Taken out of context, I could believe that I know God because I love my dog. But the Word of the Lord is not to be taken out of context, so we continue to read. In this case, verse 8 tells us “But anyone who does not love, does not know God, for God is love.”
Verse 8 reminds us that when we fail to love, we lose touch with our Heavenly Father. So, Jesus wants us to see beyond the people we find easy to love like spouse, child, parent, best friend, etc. Jesus wants us to enjoy the benefits of loving all people all the time, just like Him. For His part, Jesus never failed. He loves everyone, even those who were driving nails into His hands. But, let’s face it, as mere mortals we’re limited in our capacity to succeed at all times and we certainly face obstacles to loving the unlovely, especially those who are hurting us personally.
But can we overcome these obstacles? And, if so, should we? Perhaps, like me, you’ve said something like “I can’t like everybody”. Maybe you’ve let yourself become satisfied with this belief and have even stopped trying. In this case, we need to be mindful of the fact that love isn’t an emotion, it’s a command. And obedience is the ultimate expression of our total faith in God. So, I think the best we can do to overcome all obstacles to love is come to terms with the fact that when we don’t like someone, we need God for the power to love them. Since God is the limitless source of love, our prayer should be one of petition, asking God to empower us to love. Because when we want what He wants, His answer is always “Yes”. Therefore, walking out Jesus’ two commands in obedience is the pathway to God’s granting us His own supernatural power to love all people all the time.
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have love you, so you must love one another. John 13:34 NIV
