To whom should we love and how?

[Leonardo Von]

To whom should we love and how?

I know that these two questions can sound antic. Nevertheless, let’s analyze what Jesus said:

•    Mat 22:36-40 -> “Teacher, *which is the great commandment in the law*? And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments the whole *law* hangeth, and the prophets.”.

Until today most of all believers based themselves on these two commandments. Nonetheless, observe what it was highlighted. These are the two greatest commandments of the LAW.

It comes the question: what is the greatest commandment of the grace?

•    Joh 13:34,35 -> “A *new commandment* I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”.

Note that this was a NEW commandment. Well, love the neighbor wasn’t new (we can read in Lev 19:18). The novelty was “as I have loved you”. And how Jesus have loved us?

•    Eph 2:1-6 -> “And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins, wherein ye once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience; among whom we also all once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest:-- but God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), 
•    Col 1:21-22 -> “And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him:”. 

He has saved us while we were His enemies. Hence Jesus said:

•    Mat 5:43-45 -> “Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy: but I say unto you, Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you; that ye may be sons of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.”.

 And in no moment Jesus said that we could outsource the love. He said to the apostles in the multiplication of the breads (and, thereby, to us, to be lived at all situation):

•    Mar 6:37 -> “But he answered and said unto them, *Give ye them to eat*. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred shillings' worth of bread, and give them to eat?”,

After all, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Act 20:35). 

Therefore, instead of creating organized institutions with a select team, dedicated to help one class of people, let’s, *each one of us*, individually, wherever we go, love the person that Jesus put in our way, specially those who made themselves our enemies for the sake of Christ.

So, don’t wait the enemies change their deportment in regard to you, have a good day loving them even before they convert to Christ, recollecting that the more we forgive, the more we will be loved (Luke 7:47).