How we treat people is important to God.  If it’s important to God then it must be vital for us to walk in it.  One of the ways to be empowered to deal wisely with people is to be constantly and consistently connected to the heart of God.  When we spend time in His presence, His attributes will rob off on us.  We get influenced on Who He is and HE IS LOVE, and when we get fully soaked in Him, then we smell like Him, we think like Him, we speak like him, we see people like Him and love like Him.

“If we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?”  1John 4:20 NLT

People who are unlovable are quite a challenge to love if we do it on our own ability but God made it possible.  His love is unfailing.  His love never runs out.  His love never quits and never gives up.  His love is forever in pursuit of you and me because that’s who He created us to be, the object of His affection and the apple of His eyes.  We are His precious priced possession.

It is He Who gives us the ability and the capacity to carry His love to this love-longing, attention-seeking, insecure world.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that WHOEVER believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)  Yes, the only and sure way to treat people right with His love is when we come to know practically through personal experience the love of God that surpasses all understanding.  The knowledge of how loved we are equips and empowers us to love Him back and those around us.  There is a sequence to this truth to be able to powerfully walk in it.

“This is REAL LOVE–not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” 1 John 4: 10 NLT

I was talking to an angry, desperate, discouraged and hopeless person recently.  I saw how his heart was consumed and filled with hatred and resentment because of his physical condition of no longer being able to walk due to a stroke.  He became more demanding and wanting all the attention of everyone around him to such extent that those who live under the same roof with him reject and resent him.  His frustration drove him to forcefully pull everyone to himself not just telling them what to do but to curse them if they don’t do.

What choice does his family have who live within his reach?  Not much!  It’s either they won’t listen to him or better yet leave and stay away from his presence.  The scenario wasn’t conducive to treat him justly and rightfully.

When God’s compassion touched me, I somehow knew what to say.  I stooped down to where he was lying and told him how much Jesus loves him.  And because of His love, He sent all the people around him to be there for him.  But until his heart is open to believe this truth of the unfailing love of God, what difference does it make?  He needs to receive His love that will enable him to love himself.  I told him that unless he knows the love of God experientially, he won’t even be able to love himself and without loving himself, he won’t be able to see and feel the love others shown to him let alone loving and treating them back well.

He was in silence for a while and after a few minutes, he said, “I like what you said and teach me how to do it.”

A lot of times, when we aren’t treated right, our first reaction is to judge them right away. But that day, I learned that when we take time and allow the love of God to flow in and through us, our response will somehow surprise us.  I never knew what I was postured to do that day.  I didn’t even know that I was going to meet him until I got invited to have lunch with them.  But God has divine appointments that positions us to be at the right place at the right time because He wants to zero in His love to one person.

The love of God never fails.  His love always wins.  His agape love that we are privileged and honored to carry is to love by choice and not by chance.  It is an unconditional love that is independent of the deeds of other people.  It is a kind of love that doesn’t expect something in return.

The only way to walk in this love of God is to be filled and flooded with the richest measure of the divine presence and power of the Holy Spirit.   It is He Who coined, Who introduced, Who poured, Who is continuously pouring and will forever pour into our hearts the amazing love of Christ that far surpasses all understanding filling us up with the fullness of the Godhead, The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit, all for His Glory.

“When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?  And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these My brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!”   Matthew 25:39-20 NLT