love, a way of life

I was raised in a dysfunctional family, I had no revelation of honor or love.  My definition of love was the traditional world kind of love, you love those who love you.  Furthermore, you loved those that you needed things from, once you got what you wanted you put them back on the “black” list.   
 
Luke 6:32 If you love them which love you, what thank (benefit) have you?  For sinners also do even the same.
                 
God does not expect us to love with just our natural human kind of love because it is inadequate.  At the new birth He pours the God kind of love into our hearts.  With this kind of love shored up in our spirit we can express love without “feeling” it.  When they were driving the nails into the hands and feet of Jesus, He said “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.”   
 
I don’t believe for one minute that Jesus “felt” love for those men.  Nevertheless, He forgave them and they were forgiven.  If Jesus would not have forgiven them, the Holy Spirit would not have been able to deliver Him out of hell.  If we won’t forgive like Jesus forgave, the Holy Ghost won’t be able to keep us out of hell.  So, we have no good excuse for loving because God Himself has equipped us to love like He loves.  The God kind of life is a way of life for the born-again believer.