Can we hate others and still give them love? Can we hate others and say we are a true believer of Christ? John 15:12 shares with us a command to LOVE one another as Christ has loved us?
How can we profess to know Christ, be a follower, be in love with Christ, yet we don’t love others? It’s not possible. If we don’t have love from Christ that comes from a relationship with Christ than we can’t give LOVE to others. I heard some one say once that you can’t give something you don’t have. Isn’t this so true? Think about it. We cannot give something we don’t possess ourselves.
When we are filled with God’s unconditional love through a connection of a relationship with Christ, we will naturally love others, because He flows out of us. Christ is LOVE. He doesn’t just give love because it’s something he has stored away, but [He] is LOVE. When we remain in Him or dwell in His presence daily, He will fill us with His character. The other verse that reminds me of truly loving others is in John 13:35 By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have LOVE one to another.
So, no, we can’t hate others and profess to LOVE them at the same time. We all were created to love and desire LOVE. The only way we can give true unconditional love is to be in His presence daily. In ourselves we cannot love others the way he does- unconditionally. This doesn’t mean you must like what others may do or the way they may treat you. Love doesn’t mean you accept unacceptable behaviors from others. It just means that you will feel grieved in your spirit for their condition and pray for them in the spirit that God does his good work in them, so they too, will know the true LOVE of the Father. True LOVE , unconditional love, should cause us to feel compassioned and a need to pray for others that may lack God’s unconditional love.
I pray that my Heavenly Father births in me a love that is His true love……fresh from his heart to mine. I need His true love or else I can’t love others the way Christ wants them to be loved. God wants others to know Him, by his sons and daughters who are His disciples displaying love one to another.
ARISE and SHINE 