Help Me To Love Others [And Why It Matters]

One of the greatest challenges we face as a Christian is found in loving others. We often wonder how can we love the lost. It is easy to love those who are lovely; you know the ones you have something in common with. But how about those who are not like us? How can we show love to everyone we come in contact with? That is a challenge that makes us ask, “help me to love others”.

Love Is Not Like!

The first thing we have to realize is that to love is not to like! Jesus never told us to like others but to love others. There is a difference. To like someone means that there is some aspect of their personality, their attitude, or their outward characteristics that you find likable. But to love others has a totally different meaning than to “like others” in the Bible. Jesus said this is how people will know you are my disciples because you love one another.

Love does not require acceptance but requires a commitment to care and help others. One of the greatest examples of this concept is found in the parable of the good Samaritan. Most of us know the story well enough but what does this parable teach us that can illustrate the difference between love and like?

This parable is found in Luke 10:25-37. It all starts with a question from an expert in the Law of Moses. This person asks what can I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus turns around and asks this person, what do you believe? This person who understands the law, answers with two scriptures – Deuteronomy 6:5 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind” AND Leviticus 19:18 – “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Sounds like he had all his bases covered.

When Jesus said “You have answered correctly… do this and you will live” (Luke 10:28). The expert who thought he knew all the answers then goes further and asks “who is my neighbor.” This person who knew the law well was concerned that he understood that second part, “love your neighbor” enough to keep himself honest. Then Jesus uses the story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate both “who is your neighbor” and “how to love your neighbor”.

The neighbor in this illustration was not someone who lived close by and in fact this person was not only not a neighbor in the literal sense, he was also someone who was different from the expert. This person was a Samaritan. Samaritans were half Jews and half gentiles, they were not considered equal to the Jews they were in most cases ignored and isolated from normal Jewish society. Jews did not like the Samaritans, in fact they hated them.

Why Jesus picked a Samaritan to illustrate this point is important. Jews believed in helping each other but they did not like helping anyone who was not like them. This Samaritan played an important role in this episode he showed kindness to someone who was not like him. Samaritans hated Jews as much as Jews hated Samaritan. Yet this Samaritan went beyond the normal, overlooking his hatred for a Jew, and helped a person who had been beaten up and left for dead. This was love for others – played out by meeting a real need for someone who was down on their luck.

In fact this Samaritan put himself in a dangerous situation just by stopping his journey in a very dangerous place. The other two people who saw this person went around thinking more of their own needs and protection from the needs of another who was down on their luck.

Love is Showing Care and Concern for Others

I know we all tend to think of love as an extreme emotional feeling for someone else. We love our mates, we love our children, or we love our parents or grandparents. But love in this case is not about emotional feelings but is about being committed to someone else’s needs.

One of the greatest explanations of love is found in 1 Corinthians 13–“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

Notice in this scripture there is nothing about extreme emotional feelings towards others. It is all about how we treat others or how we show care and concern for others. I know we hear this verse often used in marriage ceremonies but it is not written to describe the relationship in a marriage but a relationship between other people.

How Do We Learn to Love Others

This is where we really need help. To love as 1 Corinthians 13 describes takes help. Many times in the past I meet people while I am shopping or going out for something to eat who are very different from me. Their dress, mannerisms are all different from me or my friends and family. It is a human tendency, I believe, that when we come face to face with strangers to be very cautious. Like the man I see often at McDonalds for breakfast, he is strange, walks around a lot instead of sitting and enjoying his coffee. He appears to be talking to himself [strange] often and well to be honest my natural reaction is to be very cautious watching his every move in case he starts to act dangerously. How can I follow God and learn to love even him or others like him?

As a Christian we are not alone in our efforts to mature spiritually. Paul understood the need to seek God’s help in learning to love one another. He wrote in 1 Thessalonians 3:12 – “And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows“ (NLT). Remember God doesn’t expect you to know exactly how to react to others instantaneously, we have to be willing to lean on God and seek his help when it comes to learning how to love others.

Great Example Of Loving Others [Especially The Unlovable]

The greatest example of loving others, especially the unlovable, is found in Jesus and his reaction to those who crucified him, the Roman Soldiers. To the Jew the Romans were enemies. For Jesus the Romans, especially the soldiers who made sport of him, beat him and seemed to take pleasure in his crucifixion represented the most unlovable in his life. Yet we all know that when it came time Jesus uttered words that seemed unimaginable. “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34 ESV).

If Jesus could forgive those that took part in his crucifixion we can forgive even those who are not only unlovable but appear to be a threat to our life and/or happiness.

Is it possible for us to love like that? I believe it is. It takes prayer and guidance, asking God to help us love those who represent the unlovable in our lives. I can think of several instances in my own life where God has helped me to look at others with a kind heart. To be kind to others, to show real concern and to act in ways that make others feel that love that God has shared with me.

Are You Willing To Love Others [Even the Unlovable]

I want to leave you with this thought. God showed his love to us, he was merciful to forgive us when we lived in sin and every day as we try to walk in faith with God. Are we willing to do as God calls us to do and love one another?

That is the ultimate decision we all must make for ourselves. I cannot force anyone to love and God will not force you to love, you have free will to choose to love as Jesus loves or to do as you please. What God asks of us is not impossible, it may seem unimaginable. But all things are possible when you walk in faith. The choice is up to you.

I know there are some that say “why should I show love to someone who cares little for me?” We could all use that kind of excuse not to follow God’s call to love. But it is still just an excuse.

The choice is up to you. To love others or not.

I want to thank you all for reading this article. I hope something I have shared helped you to understand more about this thing called love and how to love one another.

If you have any thoughts or questions feel free to leave me a comment, in fact I cherish the thought of discussing this or any other life issue with others. And if you like this post please share it via the social media links on this page.

Hope your day is blessed.

Raymond   Author – Walkinghope.com