love each other

It was a simple command: love each other.  Love other Christians.  The commandment is simple, but the execution isn't always easy. I would venture to say that it would be impossible to find any Christian today who is beloved by all other Christians.  We have personalities.  We have differences. Add in that not every Christian makes himself oh-so lovable, and some even go out of their way to be abrasive, and these simply understood words become even more difficult to follow.

You don't have to spend too much time in church or around Christians to find out who people do and don't like in the Christian world.  We haven't traditionally been very guarded with that kind of information.  Some even feel like it's their Christian duty to put down others in the name of defending doctrine.  It's easy to do.  I've never found it difficult.  Doug Fields said, "Criticism is low-hanging fruit–it’s such an easy and attractive tactic for an unhappy person."  He's spot on.  It takes little to no effort to criticize.

It certainly doesn't take any work of God in our lives.  There is no spiritual gift of grumbling, although if there were, we could all pick out the ones we know that really exemplify it.  The world will hate us, especially for what we do in the name of Christ.  Being devoid of God, they still have criticism and hate down pat.  Let's be different.

Ephesians 4:31-32 tells us to, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you."

Let's not hate on each other.  Maybe we could show grace towards other Christians, be kind and forgiving, and not completely write someone off for one thing we dislike about them.  Let's follow His command to love  each other.