1st John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
The type of love that is here described is born from above, and is not based on emotions or feelings which are subject to change with circumstances. Too often in our world today, the word love is misunderstood as being an element in human nature that is emotionally charged. The various soap operas that try to portray what true love is, fall far short of God's ideal, for in those very presentations can be found cheating, lies, lust, and divorce, all of which are foreign to the principle of love by which we all should be governed.
The love that is born of God takes proactive steps in seeking the welfare and good of others, is selfless in nature, and is kind and considerate in its manifestations. This is what Christ did when He decided to leave the courts of heaven and get His hands all dirty, in saving us from the mire of sin in which we were stuck. Jesus did not merely say that He loved us, but rather showed us in practical ways, His deep interest in our well-being, having compassion on our unfortunate situation. This same type of love is what we are asked to manifest in our dealings with one another, a good example of which is given in the story of the "Good Samaritan".
In the story the man that was robbed and badly beaten by bandits, lay helpless on the ground, when three individuals passed by. The first person to come across the bleeding man was a priest who when he saw the condition of the wounded man, decided to move on without lending a helping hand. The second to pass by was a Levite, who showed some interest by going over to where the man lay dying, but for some reason he also moved on without helping. The third person to pass that way was not a religious person perse, but he had the proactive love of God operating in and through him, in that he did not even think about his own well-being and safety, but lifted the wounded man onto his beast, took him to an inn, and paid for his stay until full recovery could be made. Let's read:
Luke 10:33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
Here we see the godly principle of love in action, in that the "Good Samaritan" is the one who really had God's law of love written in his heart. In our interaction with our fellowmen it's important for us to allow the same type of love to permeate our every move, regardless of whether we know individuals or not. Some Christians specialize in helping only those whom they know, while the stranger is dismissed on various grounds and for different reasons. The true principle of love as is manifested by God is engaged to friends as well as to strangers, for it comes from the heart and is driven by uniform kindness, without respect to gender, creed, culture, accent, nationality, religion, or race.
It is the will of God that this love be manifested in His children in a uniform manner, through the power of the Holy Spirit operating in and through us. We therefore end with a passage of scripture that calls us back to God's ideal for our relationship with others, for this is how the Character of God is made manifest in our benighted world. Let's read:
Matthew 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
May God add His blessing to the study and doing of His word. "Good night" and God bless!