You are empowered and equipped to love everybody and I'm about to prove it!
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (EXB) says
Love is patient and kind. Love is not ·jealous [envious], it does not brag, and it is not ·proud [arrogant; conceited; puffed up]. 5 Love is not ·rude [disrespectful], is not ·selfish [self-serving], and ·does not get upset with others [is not easily provoked/angered]. Love does not ·count up [keep a record of] wrongs that have been done. 6 Love ·takes no pleasure [does not rejoice] in ·evil [wrongdoing; injustice] but rejoices over the truth. 7 Love ·patiently accepts all things [T?bears all things; or always protects], ·always trusts [T?believes all things], ·always hopes [T?hopes all things], and ·always endures [T?endures all things].
That's the agape or unconditional love of God. You may not currently be loving people that way, but if you're a Believer you have all you need within you to do so. God is love and He has empowered and equipped you love everyone with His love!
Love comes from God! 1 John 4:7-10 The Message (MSG) says
7-10 My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.
John 3:16 New International Version (NIV) says,
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 5:8 New International Version (NIV) says,
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
From those verses it should be clear that because love comes from God & He has loved us in such a unconditional way that empowers us to love others.
Not only has God empowered us to love others, but He has also given or equipped us with His love in which to do so.
Romans 5:5 New International Version (NIV) says,
5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Think about that! You have the unconditional love of God in your heart by the Holy Spirit! No all you have to do is allow that love to flow out of you to others in your everyday life.
In fact, as Christians we are actually commanded to love others.
John 13:34-35 The Passion Translation (TPT) - This is Jesus speaking,
34)“So I give you now a new[a] commandment: Love each other just as much as I have loved you. 35 For when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another, everyone will know that you’re my true followers.”
When you demonstrate the love of God for others people will know that you are truly a follower of Christ!
Not only is love a commandment; but it is the greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:35-39 New International Version (NIV) says,
35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.
So get the order. Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus even went a step further and told his disciples to love their enemies?
Matthew 5:43-44 New International Version (NIV) says 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
The love of God within you allows you, or empowers and equips you to even love your enemies.
So there you have it. Until next time my friends!
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