Love 'Em All!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to love everyone? I mean to truly love every single person on the planet. The people who are mean, abusive, unkind, rude, dishonest, and unfair are not as easy to love. It takes some prayer before my heart is turned toward them. Jesus tells us to love those people though. He loves them all. He died for them, just like He did for me. So who am I to say they are not worth loving?

Matthew 5:43-45

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Sometimes it is hard to love people. The ones who are mean, hateful, and even evil are especially hard for me to love. I am a Christian, though, so I know the Bible says to love everyone. These are the words out of Jesus' mouth! And if I show meanness, hatred, or bitterness to these people, then I am just like them. I am no longer like Jesus. So, how can it get easier for us to love these kinds of people? The Bible says when we obey the commandments God gave us we are showing love. For me, it makes it easier to love the unlovely when I realize I am doing this for God and He gives the love to me to give to them.

2 John 1:6

And this is love, that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

If we mess up, say mean things back, hurt someone who hurt us, or respond by becoming bitter, we do not have to stay in that dark place. We can pray to God and ask Him to help us and He will do it. No, it is not easy. No, I do not get it right every single time. But there is good news, we can start over! God will help us and maybe the next time we will choose love instead of anger, love instead of bitterness, love instead of harboring bad feelings.

1 John 2:1

My little children, these things I write unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

He is righteous. We can go to Jesus and He will be our advocate to the Heavenly Father. He will give us the love we need to love others. Let's make a goal to be more loving today!

God bless you!
~Bridgett Owens