Overflow with Love

This is going to be a quick post, but I read something here today and I couldn't help but write about it. This little blurb from Rick Warren talks about the need to love EVERYONE. "Everyone" includes those who irritate you, make you mad, those who annoy you, those you disagree with, and even those people who don't love you. Why is it imperative to love everyone? Well, the easy answer? God tells us to. Warren put it into perspective here: "If you only love on and off like a light switch, you do not love others like God wants you to love. Jesus said, 'If you only love those who love you, what credit is that to you?' (Luke 6:32)."

God wants us to be Christlike. Be like Him. Does He love everyone? Yes. To Him, no one is unloveable. One of my favorite verses that really boils down God's unconditional love is Romans 8:38-39:

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Wow. Every single time I read or hear this verse I am just amazed with God's love. This verse tells us that there is nothing that can separate us from God's love. Nothing. He loves even me, a sinner, with an "extravagant, irresistible, unconditional love" (Warren).

Couldn't we all try a little harder to love those people we let get under our skin? Those we want to instantly judge because they said this-and-that? Yes, difficult, unpleasant, and demanding people. Rick Warren said it best: "You can't do that until you have God's love coming through you. You need to know God's love so it can O V E R F L O W out of your life into others." Take some time to soak in (or, get drenched by) God's love for you and share that love with others.