James Taylor sings a song that tells us to “Shower the people you love with love.” That sounds well and good, but it might also be understood in a wrong way, namely only loving the people who love you.  Jesus spoke about that in Luke 6.

Luke 6:27–36 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Simply loving those who love you is not what Jesus is after. He tells us to do a hard thing: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you. In other words, Jesus wants you to love everyone the way He loves everyone. Not just your family. Not just your friends. Not only those who are kind to you. Everyone. Love everyone completely. Shower EVERYONE with love. Don’t hold back or withhold it from anyone. Be loving to everyone with the kind of love God has shown to you.

As I said, that can be difficult. In fact, it is impossible for us. It goes against our natural tendencies. Some people are unlovable.

• How can you love someone who has hurt you terribly?
• How can you love a child molester?
• How can you love a terrorist who blows up innocent people?

That is tough stuff. What we need to remember is that God loves everyone.  Everyone. And He wants everyone to be saved by believing that Jesus has taken care of sin for us, allowing us to be forgiven for everything we have done wrong.

The Son willingly came to be one of us, to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45), and to be raised on Easter as your way to eternal life. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2: because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. . .consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household (4-5,19). Shower everyone with love.

You don’t do this in order to be saved. You show God’s love to everyone because you have been saved. Jesus did that for you. You respond by living the life to which Jesus has called you. Shower the people you love – which should be everyone – with love. The love of God in Christ.