There will be people in every area of our lives that are unlovable...in our eyes. God told us to love as He loves. We are to love people (not just nod our heads in acknowledgement.) No matter how difficult others seem to be or how much they rub us the wrong way...we are to shine Jesus to them.
If we cannot love others, then we cannot be loved by God. He says "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1 John 4:7-8)
We can't just meet the lowest requirement for loving people. We have to love as God has loved US. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are not going to be easy to get along with all the time! But then, neither are we. We have days or even weeks when we are hard to love...but God still shows love to us. (But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8)
It's a choice, but it's also a command. LOVE ONE ANOTHER, as Christ has loved you ("A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." John 13:34)
We are to love until we cannot love anymore...stretching the very boundaries of love that's inside of us. Just as we stretch our muscles when we work out a lot, and some days we stretch them until they have nothing left. The difference here is that since God is the one that IS love, He loves people through us when we allow Him to. We will grow weary of doing so to a bunch of people who could care less, but with God, all things are possible. ("With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." Mark 10:27) We will feel we have nothing left at times, but we truly can do "all things in Christ who strengthens us." (I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13)
He will give us the ability to love when we think love is too far to grasp or act upon.
"Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord." (1 Peter 2:1-3)
Malice: desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another, either because of a hostile impulse or out of deep-seated meanness
Malice makes us hold grudges against people. Making us desire revenge instead of forgiveness.
Certain things in my past have tested how much I would love before I gave up. The amazing thing is that God never gives up on us. It doesn't matter what we do or how long we do it, God will still love us. Now, I'm not going to allow people to degrade me or trample on me with their words, I will stand up for myself, but I will still love them as much as God will help me to do so.
I know several people who are very difficult, voice their opinions a little too often and stress me out big time (as I'm sure you do as well.)
But, if I can't love those people for something that insignificant, then I shouldn't expect God to love me with all my problems and sins. I am no better than someone who is careless with words and actions, because it is sin and I, too, have sinned my whole life.
We may say "well I shouldn't have to put up with that/them." Yes...in a perfect world nobody would have to deal with unpleasant people...actually, nobody would BE unpleasant. Everybody would get along just fine. The fact is, we don't live in a perfect world. This side of heaven we won't ever live in a perfect world. As a matter of fact, it will just get worse. People will get more prideful, attitudes will become more sinful and good character will be a thing of the past. We don't think it's fair that we have to love people who aren't very nice? Well it wasn't "fair" that Jesus had to be beaten, spit on, whipped and crucified. But He did it anyway in obedience to the Father. So we must also obey in loving EVERYONE. Our enemies, the unlovable, and the unpleasant. Whether they're strangers, acquaintances, friends, co workers, your boss, your husbands family, your wife's family...it doesn't matter what they have done or how annoying and frustrating they may seem. We are commanded to love them.
If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20)
We are to conform to God's image, and His image was humbling Himself enough to come to this earth and save a bunch of unlovable, prideful, unforgiving people. So, to withhold love from another person means we believe we have more worth than they do. We think we deserve to be loved by God, but these people couldn't ever deserve our love (which is really God's love.) The honest truth is, if it weren't for God, we would know nothing of love because we in ourselves cannot love.
Endless, agape love.
This is what people should see in our lives. To love means to shine Jesus, and that is the whole point in our lives. That is why we wake up each day. That is why we were made. To glorify God...in EVERYTHING we do. It is impossible to love this way without God. When we let Him take over He can cover our eyes to the problems and imperfections of those around us. Not to say we should be blind to sin, but, as a husband/wife loves the other in spite of their faults and problems, we should love others in spite of themselves.
"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)
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