separated him from God and from others that Jesus would want
to have redeemed.
Another problem we experience in not loving others is that we
have been hurt deeply by them. Often, we pull away from
others because they have hurt us or been unfair, judged us, or
gossiped about us. Yet holding a grudge or choosing to be
bitter toward others only injure our own soul. If we wrap
ourselves up in the cloak of your own selfishness,
condemnation of others, holding grudges, and refusing to
forgive, we will always be sad and disappointed in others.
Often I have heard, “No one ever talks to me.” Or “No one ever
initiates to me.”
This kind of attitude will never produce fruit. Because most of
the people we come into contact with do not know the love of
Jesus, it is probable that we, like Jesus, will be called to give far
more than we receive. We cannot expect those who are not
mature or redeemed to exhibit God’s love to us.
But, if we have experienced the love and grace of God, then we
are the ones responsible to be the givers and peacemakers.
Only love and forgiveness can heal us and heal others so that
they can come to Christ.
Sometimes those we choose to love cannot love us back and
continue in the habits of criticism, harshness, or passivity. Yet,
even though we cannot control the behavior of others, we are
still called to love. Whether or not someone responds to our
love is not our responsibility—we are to be obedient and leave
the results in God’s hands.
The more we practice love, the more we end up loving Jesus.