“Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 22:37-40
Another reason why God gave us His kind of love is to relate very well with other people. It is very unfortunate that the devil has succeeded and he is still succeeding in making believers think that having a good relationship with fellow brethren is optional. No, it is not. Relating well with other people is the second purpose of why God released His kind of love to us. Therefore the responsibility is on you to know how to relate very well with people around you.
According to Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40; our love for God and other people is the foundation that anchors every other thing that God wants us to do. Never forget that what you do as a believer must have love as its foundation. Otherwise, it will result in nothing (see 1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
This is a very important lesson that God wants you to learn. What will show that we love others is how we relate with them because the proof of God’s love for us is how he relates to us. Love is for relationships. This is why God whose nature is love (Relationship) has given us love (His nature) to relate with others.
In 1 John 4:7-8, the scripture said; “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.”
Learning to relate with others is never going to be easy at all but for your own good, you need it. At this juncture, I will like to say that there are places in the New Testament where believers are admonished to relate very well with one another because we belong to the same body and are of one family.
John 13:35
“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
1 Peter 2:17
“Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.”
Galatians 6:10
“Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”
The strength of the church or the body of Christ is love that is expressed in action ( 1 John 3:18; “ Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions). It is unfortunate that love and sincere relationship is conspicuously missing in the church these days. All forms of segregation have become the other of the day in the church. This is the major reason the body of Christ has become so weak. Lack of love and one voice!
Our relationship with others ought not to stop in the church. We are to love nonbelievers with all our hearts. God’s kind of love has no boundary (it is not limited by race, skin color, nationality, social status), it is sincere and unconditional. If Christ did not love us unconditionally while we are yet sinners, how will He have died for us? Relate with people around you with God’s kind of love. This is inevitable because agape love makes soul-winning easy.
To be continued…