Love One Another

Every time a new season of campaigns for national elections comes around I am reminded of how easily I am ticked off by political opinions that are different from mine, and therefore simply ignorant (HA!).  I get irritated with people who don't understand that baseball is THE beautiful game.  Rude people make me angry.  There are plenty of people I don't really care to be around.  And yet- Jesus calls upon us to love everyone, including those people we may not like very much.  1 John 4:7 reminds us that "if we don't love, we don't know God, for God IS love."  Jesus said that others will know that we are His disciples by the way we love each other.  Most people outside the church don't see much of that love demonstrated.  They see us fighting, name-calling and disrespecting one another as we dwell on issues that we are against.  It's time to stop focusing on being "anti-everything" and start focusing on being "Pro-Love."  So today, show love to someone with whom you have issues.  Be it a co-worker, a neighbor, a sales clerk, a sibling, a spouse, or even a Cardinals fan- give them a smile and a friendly greeting.  Wish them a blessed weekend.  Help them to see the love God has for them by showing them the love of Christ.  Maybe they are real jerks and do not deserve your love, but that is the beauty of God's grace- none of us get what we deserve.  We get love instead.  And if that's not good news on a Saturday, I don't know what is!  Now sing along with me- "They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love- yes they'll know we are Christians by our love..."


Because of Jesus,