Romans 12:9 (NLT)

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.”

There may seem to be a conflict in love but in reality, there is none. Love is commanded. Love is demanded. For the spiritual man, love is not an option. True love cannot be hypocritical and pretentious. True love is active and vibrant. True love goes beyond sweet words and warm emotional feelings. True love is commitment, and we cannot love God if we are not loving each other. Love is not measured by the giver but by the receiver. If I have truly loved someone, the loved should know that I loved him. If the love is secretly buried and hidden away, then how will it benefit the one who is loved?

But while love is always required and love is always good, love does not mean toleration of evil and wrongdoing. Seeing people do what is wrong and accepting/ participating in it is not love. True love has no fear. We need to “Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” – NKJV. Abhor means to detest and utterly reject. It’s not love to see evil and cling to it. We are called to tenaciously cling to what is right and good, and resist what is evil; and even this is part of love. True love stands for righteousness, and in love, stands against what is not right. Is there a conflict? No! We just need to understand that love goes beyond the contemporary definition of warm feelings and positive affirming actions.

“Lord, may I not be hypocritical in my love. May I stand for truth in love and speak truth to those I love. May my love be felt by my gracious and positive actions towards those I love. In Jesus name. Amen.”