When God says I love you He is saying just that. Where did we come up with the I don’t like you part? Perhaps, we want to say I don’t like what you’ve said/done but I have to love you because God says so. Hmmmmm I really don’t think the intent of the command to love others has anything to do with a qualification (but I don’t like you).
There are 3 basic commands in the New Testament…Love God and love others! (Matthew 22:35-40) Go and Tell! (Matthew 28:19) Do any of those say BUT I don’t have to like you, your actions, your opinions, your stuff…?
When God says love me that’s exactly what it means. The first 4 commandments of the 10 are about loving God. He says I AM God! You can have no other gods in any form whether spiritual or physical. Honor My Name. Worship me on the Sabbath and rest from all else. How do those equal love? Think about this. When we are with those we love we focus totally on them, we honor them, we let nothing get in the way of our relationship with them, we set aside time to be totally with them. That is how we are to love God!
How we are to love others is commanded in the next 6. Honor your parents! Do not murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, or want what belongs to someone else. This is where the ‘but I don’t like you’ comes into play. We get ourselves into a self-righteous attitude and say I don’t like you because you… We have to get over ourselves! Doesn’t God say I AM God and you’re not? Stop separating the two. I love you, period.
Love is wanting what is best for another. It is not wanting what is best when we say, but I don’t like you. When a person hears, I don’t like what you are doing or saying, they immediately equate it to I don’t love you. Oh, dear friends, take these words out of your vocabulary! They are not God-like. If we truly want to become more like Him we cannot allow our human attitudes to have a part in how we love. Let nothing get in the way of simply loving!
Oh, Heavenly Father, let me simply show love. Keep me constantly aware of Your example. Let me show love in Jesus’ Precious and Holy name. Make it so!
A Satisfied Spirit 
It is so wonderful Marie that you both Love each other with God’s fullness, how blessed you both are and yes Marriage is not just about being Happy Clappy all the time, sometimes we have the Storms and not just physical ones like you and your husband went through, sometimes there Spiritual but we still continue to walk hand and hand together but what if they walk away then we hold Jesus’ hand and pray and continue to Trust and obey as He leads the way.
God bless you both greatly now and always in the calm and in the Storms.
Christian Love from both of us – Anne.
Sorry again Marie I’m still having problems now with my Spell checker, I have corrected the comment again now, if it happens again please do so.
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It is so wonderful Marie that you both Love each other with God’s fullness, how blessed you both are and yes Marriage is not just about being Happy Clappy all the time, sometimes we have the Storms and not just physical ones like you and your husband went through, sometimes there Spiritual but we still continue to walk and and hand together but what if they walk away then we hold Jesus’ hand and pray and continue to Trust and obey as He leads the way.
God bless you both greatly now and always in the calm and in the Storms.
Christian Love from both of us – Anne.
Sorry Marie I’m having problems now with my Spell checker, I have corrected the comment now.
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It is so wonderful Marie that you both Love each other with God’s fullness, how blessed you both are and yes Marriage is not just about being happy Cappy all the time, sometimes we have the Storms and not just physical ones like you and your husband went through, sometimes there Spiritual but we still continue to you walk hand and hand together but what if they walk away then we hold Jesus’ hand and pray and continue to Trust and obey as He leads the way.
God bless you both greatly now and always in the Calm and in the Storms.
Christian Love from both of us – Anne.
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Your response came in three time so I approved them all. When I talk to younger women about marriage I ask them to think about, Do they want to see that face on the pillow next to them for the rest of their lives? I also talk about the changes they will go through in life. Ray and I agree that if we were still the same people we were 40+ years ago we might not like each other as much. We’ve changed and grown together and that is really awesome. Marie
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I agree with your believed.Thank you for your current sharing.
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It’s my pleasure. Marie
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Very True Marie, we can’t have Godly Love without Friendship, Philos is part of Agape Love, both go together and Love accepts that others have weaknesses and shortcomings without criticising and belittling them. But True Love does not agree with evil, Love is pure and warns those who sin when needed, not to do so is apathy, to watch someone continue to sin, which leads to spiritual death and not warn them, is like watching someone walk close to a crumbling cliff and be in danger of falling.
We do need to have discernment, some people, including those who call themselves Christians, will deliberately try to provoke us or seek to hurt us but two wrongs don’t make a right, so we don’t seek revenge but we do warn them too.
Gods tells us if they continue to sin or abuse, we are not to fellowship with them but that does not mean we don’t pray for them and help them if they ask for it, Love does not give up on anyone, it always hopes, we do not know anyone’s destiny only God does, yes we can see by their actions if they are walking with The Lord and we need to be careful but if not they may still come to heart repentance on their deathbed through the good seeds that have been planted. We also don’t know anyone else’s motivation, hurt people, hurt people so when needed we show compassion too.
Friendship is also never one sided but will always seek to give to others first and does not consider it’s own needs before them, it also takes an interest in what interests others and uplifts and encourages them and yes corrects if there is error.
So can we do all this in the flesh, No only as The Holy Spirit empowers us will we be able to show Agape Love to others and we will even Love our enemies, enough to die for them.
I posted about Love Marie, see link below but I don’t know why it lost some of it’s colour or where the music went but it still explains what God’s Love is all about, sadly you are right many still walk in hate and selfishness.
Blog Post – http://freedomborn.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/what-true-love-is-all-about/
Christian Love from both of us – Anne
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That is the kind of love that all husbands and wives should have for one another. As Ray lay in a coma for 20 days I was with him every day. The nurses said I didn’t need to because there had been no change but I HAD TO! I said in our wedding vows’in sickness and in health’ as did he. He stood beside me, waited on me and loved me through cancer and my recovery. Oh, How He (he) loves me. Marie
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Could it be we humans love to attach qualifiers to our actions because they justify our own wrongdoing?
Keep the Faith!
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Not only qualifiers but judgements. God didn’t say if you want to He said just do it! Blessings to you! Marie
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