How do you love? Who do you love?

      People express love in their own unique way and perhaps in more than one creative way.  The "Five Love Languages" also describe ways people communicate their love to another person.

     To love is easy if we are loved back in return. To love is easier if we know that we are loved first by the person we want to love.

     But how do you love someone who doesn't love you? Or how do you love someone who hates you… or someone you hate, an enemy perhaps, or someone you are not on good terms with?  Isn't it easier to hate them and to simply ignore them? And do you really need to love them in the first place?

     In this time and age when conflict between people is a common occurrence, it is best to look to the greatest book of knowledge, the best-selling book of all time, for guidance.

     In the Bible, Jesus answered this question appropriately: "LOVE your enemies, DO GOOD to them that hate you, BLESS them that curse you, PRAY for them that despisefully use you."(Luke 6:27-28)

     There's actually no reason to hold that grudge against another or to put off reconciliation with another person just because of some conflict or differences in opinion. These reasons that people hold in their hearts become hindrances to people's relationships with other people and more especially to their relationship with their Creator.  People are unable to experience the joy of a real fellowship God had intended for them with Him when all these ballasts and baggage weigh down their hearts.

     These are the four things one must do. It is more of a command than a suggestion:

1. "LOVE your enemies" - the competitor who wants you out of business, the person who always says bad words about you, etc.


2. "DO GOOD to them that hate you" - the stranger who scratched your car, that person who envies your success, the employee who wants you of his way so he can get recognized, etc.


3. "BLESS them that curse you" - the driver of the adjacent car you accidentally cut-off, the boss who uses foul words at his subordinates, etc.


4. "PRAY for them that despisefully use you" - that co-worker who always puts you down, an abusive boss, the policeman who extorts money from you, etc.

     We are called to be loving towards God and to the people around us.

     Experiencing God's affection and demonstrating it to others are two of our greatest joys. Let this not be hindered by our inability to obey His commandments.

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More about "Love" in this link: Pursue Love (CCF)