Love is the Necessity of the Christian Life!

Jesus accepted the validity of the Jewish laws of his day. However he encouraged people to emphasize the intent behind the law, and to focus on their motivations. He summarized the law as love for God and for our neighbor. Thus much of Christian practice is focused on finding ways to show love for our fellow men and women on this planet.  How do you show your love?

Are you a person who acts in love, or do you allow the lesser emotions of hate and greed to dominate you and your actions?  Do you allow prejudice and intolerance to win out in your life?  Are you a person who lives in fear, or one who lives by faith?  Do you live in love, or do you live in racism and hate and gossip and the fine art of running people down.  Much of modern media and so-called news is not "fair and balanced," but rather is unfair and imbalanced and oozing hate.  Christians must rise above the culture in this regard.

At its best, Christianity has been characterized by helping people. This ranges from the personal to the institutional. At the personal level, Christians should help others. This includes direct help for friends, and participation in more organized activities such as soup kitchens and help for the homeless. At the institutional level, Christians have been active in creating hospitals, schools, and other institutions to help people.

The term "love" in English covers many things, including erotic love, love between parent and child, brotherly love, etc. Christian love can be modeled on love between parent and child and brotherly love.
We are told to love everyone, particularly enemies. It's useful to start by looking at what this does NOT mean. It does not mean that we will like everyone, bur rather that we purpose to act in love in Jesus' Name. Love is not primarily an emotion, although it often involves the emotions, and is supported by them. It is primarily a commitment to care about someone.

Jesus' teachings are largely a description of what love means. However the briefest and perhaps most eloquent description is from one of Paul's letters, the first one to the church in Corinth:

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love is based on our status as fellow children of God. This means that there is at least potentially a close spiritual bond between all of us. It is a reflection of the fact that God loves us, and is an expression of Christ's love active in us.  It is also based on honesty and justice, on compassion and service.  It is God's hand extended through us as we act in love.