…But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:44-48

It takes a certain kind of grace to be able to love more than we feel we should. Sometimes we like to dispense love as you would salary. “This person did this much for me, therefore I will love them this much, this one showers their love on me, so I will love them unconditionally.” We even have a category of people who we term as undeserving of our love, maybe because they have caused us the most misery in our lives, and continue to be unapologetic about it. By all rights, isn't it only fair that the measure they give, they receive double? As Christians sometimes, we often claim to take the high road and declare that Vengeance belongs to God, therefore it would be a waste of emotional energy trying to get back at them. That is more grace than they should even deserve from anyone.

But then Christ comes and says, ‘It is good that you love your neighbour, but what will show that you are a child of the heavenly Father is if you love your enemies and pray for those who tear you apart every chance they get.” and we are left crying out, “But only a perfect person can do that, and I’m only human!”

So how then can we be able to love the way Christ commands us to? Regardless of our pain, our imperfect human nature, our shortcomings? How do we love genuinely and graciously? Love despite the other person not deserving it or earning it? 

In all simplicity, Christ says, ‘It will be absurd for you to claim to love me and yet you do not love one another, because I want you to be my representative to all, believers and non-believers alike. How else will they know what kind of God I am? ”

He put loving God with all our heart and soul on the same level as loving our neighbour. Being impartial to one, therefore means, being impartial to it all. The simple truth is that every single person, however insignificant, deceitful, hurtful or even the greatest sinner; is essentially a child of God. And despite all that, He still chooses to shower them with love, more so in that state in which we think they do not deserve love.

The best way to learn to love others, is to ask ourselves, do we love God? If yes, then automatically, how we express this love to Him, is through loving, caring for and nurturing that which is His, basically representing Him to the fullest. And when we fall short of the strength to do so, we ask for more grace, which He gives freely and abundantly; to teach us to love like Him. By this, all will know that we are His, (John 13:34-35). Our guest this week, Fredrick Gakono, digs a little deeper into what it means to love genuinely and graciously, so what are you waiting for, have a listen, you can't afford to miss this one, beloved.