Tell yourself the truth. As a christian, how much do you love the people around you?

It would be easy to think you love enough people to fill your "love quota" in the eyes of God. But many of us modern Christians (especially we Nigerians, IMO) show such a distinct lack of love that it would leave non-Christians baffled. Right here on Nairaland, I have read people post things that show such a distinct lack of love that I wonder exactly what brand of Christianity they subscribe to.

Here's the thing; when the bible says love your neighbour as yourself, it did not mean your literal neighbour alone. It meant everybody you come across. Unconditionally like God loves us. Without exception. Whether white, black, tall, short, Christian, Muslim, pagan, atheist, straight, gay, armed robber, assassin; love all. That is the injunction we have received from he that loved us first. I must confess, even for me that knows this, I find it difficult, extremely difficult to love someone that has the audacity to rob another person of his hard earned money/property. Or someone that killed another in cold blood. But that is just what God has commanded us; to love all. A portion of Romans 12 (can't remember what verse exactly) says "As much as possible, live at peace with all men." All men, not some men. And you cannot live at peace with someone that you have no love for. And that lack of love leads to fear. The fear that pervades Nigerian Christendom (and a topic I will visit soon enough).

Sometimes, I read on this forum where someone talks about, say, an armed robber being lynched and people say "good for him/her. The person deserves it for what they did". Personally, I would like to think that too. But that is not love because we have not supported the right thing. If it is the law that stipulates death as a penalty for the action the person took, then that is justice. But when you act without the backing of the law to punish someone who did wrong, thenm you are not acting with love to get the [person the just punishment they deserve lawfully, not overpunishing them. Or someone who says "If I have a gay child, I would disown him/her" or "if I see a gay person, I would kill them". Right. Then you would go to heaven and tell God you did the right thing and expect his blessing, isn't it? It is not our place to judge anyone, regardless of what they have done except we are in the position of authority to do that.

Here is one fact, though; that is a really difficult doctrine to follow at face value. I mean, someone robbed you and you're supposed to love them? Puhleez! Someone killed your relative and you're just supposed to "let the law take its course"? Like heck the law would! But then, it is the kind of life I am trying to adopt. No, it doesn't mean that tommorow, if you insult my parents, I would smile and tell you God Bless You (seriously, when we used to try this back when we were little, it hurt inside like hell and I would itch so much to yank the person's hair out instead of swallowing the insult). It just means that I would do my best live that way and love as much as possible. The world is the way it is because we are forgetting how to love. And that is a terrible, terrible thing.