Jesus gave a new commandment. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34
I consider any other people apart from my family as neighbors. These neighbors can be living next door to you or they are your friends or acquaintances.
It is easy to show affection to your neighbor but why do you love them and how do you define this love?
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Mark 12:31
In this context, as defined by Strong's Concordance, it means "to love in a social and moral sense".
"Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."Romans 13:10
Humanly speaking, it is very hard to achieve this. When that person whom you consider as your enemy hurt you, insult you and do all sorts of unpleasant things to you, it is very difficult to put it down all together.
Are you able to show care and concern if there are unforgiveness towards that person?
It is hard but I trust that with the grace of God, you and I can do it. I choose to forgive my enemies because Christ has forgiven me. You can do it too.
Someone used to teach me to "forgive and forget" when another person did unpleasant things to me. It's very hard to forget what the other person did. The more I try to forget, the more I remember! Do you have this kind of experience too?
Sometime back (September 2012), I came to know of someone whom I know, who spoke behind my back. Seriously, I did nothing to hurt this person at all and all this person did was to backstab me and said all sort of bad things against my son and I.
I was truly upset and angry. During the church service, the LORD reminded me of Colossians 3:13. It is pointless of me being angry as it will only hurt my health. I determine to forgive this person during the service and I let go and let God take charge. Even now, although I have forgiven this person, I am mindful and wary of this person.
If you read Colossians 3:13 slowly, God did not ask you to forget. God only ask you to forgive. And I believe He will help you to do the forgetting part.
We forgive because we have been forgiven. We love because He first loved us.For Jesus says in Matthew 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."
Colossians 3:13
bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against one another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
Ephesians 4:2
with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love
Ephesians 5:2
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
1 Thessalonians 4:9
But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
1 John 4:11-12
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.
1 John 4:21
And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
2 John vs 5
...not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another.