The other day as I was praying, I began to see the faces of a few people, brothers and sisters in Christ, that I don’t always get along with. No real trouble between us, just personality differences that cause us to rub one another the wrong way at times. Always nice and polite with one another. But not always feeling very patient and kind or believing the best of one another.
As I saw their faces, I could tell I was not loving them the way God loves them. Remember our commandment from Jesus.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (John 13:34, NKJV)
Their faces did not stir in my heart an unfailing, overflowing love, which is how He loves me, so I knew I was falling short here. I began to repent. I asked the Lord to forgive me for not loving them the way I should. As I prayed something happened in my heart, and I realized I began to say something else. I began to say, “Father, forgive me for not loving You.”
It became so real to me in that moment, that when I don’t love others, it’s Him I’m not loving. We are the Body of Christ and when we don’t love one another, it is a part of Him that we do not love.
For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and carefully protects and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, because we are members (parts) of His body. (Ephesians 5:29-30, Amplified)
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is very great, but I speak concerning [the relation of] Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31-32, Amplified)
We are one with Him and through Him we are one with each other, a body, His body.
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14, KJV)
He also is the Head of [His] body, the church… (Colossians 1:18, Amplified)
Now this may be a difficult pill to swallow for some, but know this, that He would not ask us to do something that He did not give us the capability to do. In His words to us, in His instructions to the church, in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, is His grace (the power of the Holy Spirit) to do what we He has called us to do, which is to love one another as He has loved us.
Ask Him to teach you, to lead you, to guide you. Ask Him to change you. Yield to His Word and His grace that live in you. And as you go from glory to glory you will look more like Him and you will love more like Him.
But concerning brotherly love [for all other Christians], you have no need to have anyone write you, for you yourselves have been [personally] taught by God to love one another. (1 Thessalonians 4:9, Amplified)
Highway of Love 
God so loved the world! I get a lot out of reading your blog, thank you for sharing! I also confess not loving like I should. I have allowed fear and the cares of this world dictate what I do. I ask God to forgive me and I thank God for people like you– people that aren’t afraid to share their shortcomings. I believe this is a huge weakness in the body of Christ. James 5:16 NKJV Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Delia, you are a blessing to EMIC and my family. Thank you!
I agree with what Noah wrote. Nothing speaks louder encouragement to others than someone simply being brutally honest about their own shortcomings. I really liked this post for that reason. Loving others on a consistent basis is the hardest part about Christianity, in my opinion. But it’s the very heart of the message.
“By loving the unlovable, You made me lovable.”
-Augustine
The Holy Spirit spoke to me yesterday during a prayer in church about this very thing. I literally cringed when the name was spoken aloud from the pulpit. As you’ve taught me, the spirit of offense was loud and clear, anything but the love of God. You are such a great teacher. I, too, concur with the above comments. You allow hope when you reveal yourself and show how you overcome through Him. Love you!
Thank you for this post Delia. For the most part I really don’t have trouble liking/loving people. But…there is this one person that I constantly have to “turn over to to the Lord” and claim by faith that I love with the love of the Lord. I would really like to not be “burdened” with having to guard against this so much with this one person (that is, I don’t want any strife or unlovely feelings, or thoughts to block the Blessing).
Is it possible to get to such love that these personality differences don’t even come up?
Are you able to get over the personality clashes you spoke of? Do the personality clashes ever go away? Or will you pretty much always have to just turn it over to the Lord?
In response to BK.
You may want to read my post on January 2, 2009 entitled Learning to Love. Here is the link https://highwayoflove.com/2009/01/02/learning-to-love/
I have most definitely come to a place of true agape (the God kind of love) with people that used to bother me. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that we are being changed from one degree of glory to another into His image. Who is He? He is love and I do believe as we grow, we love more and more like He loves and those personality differences no longer bother us.
I found love is only difficult, when we are still thinking about ourselves. When we truly love, it’s no longer about us, we are not concerned about ourselves and I call that being free to love.