What do we do now? (Living on the door step of heaven)

"So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world" (1 John 4:16-17).

The love that characterizes who God is ought to characterize the life of all believers. God is love. Therefore John the apostle wrote, "and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 John 4:16). How does God demonstrate his love? John writes, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16).  God laying down his life for us is a picture of His love and an example of how we ought to love one another. Do we put the needs, and interest of others before our own? Are we willing to sacrifice time, energy and money to help others in need without expecting anything in return? John adds, “But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:16-18).  Loving others in real tangible ways is not only at the heart of our Christian faith, but it is supreme evidence that we are in God and God is in us.

Although our love will not perfectly reflect the love of Christ to the fullest, we ought to be growing in it more and more every day. Notice that Paul commended the Thessalonians for their growing love when he wrote, "We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing" (2 Thess. 1:3).

In the context of John’s revelation that “God is love” he states, "...as he is so also are we in this world?" Can the same be said about you and me? Does God’s sacrificial love characterize our lives? If Christians are going to make a difference in this world God’s love must clearly be evident in their lives (John 13:35).  And that means not just loving others when there is something in it for us, but putting the interest of others before our own.

This election season has been a very ugly one not just for the candidates, but for Christians. I do understand the frustration that many feel about the direction that our country is going, but we must never lose sight that as believers we are to be the salt and light of the world. It's one thing to disagree, but as Christians we must speak the truth in love not hate.

Regarding the demeaning language that some Christians have used debating the issues during this election season and their bitter attitudes with the results of the elections before a lost world, one Pastor wrote, "It has not been a good reflection of the Christ we serve. Our Lord described us as salt and light. He said that we are to be the preserving and directing forces in our culture. He said that it would be our love–not our theology, our religious performances, and certainly not our political persuasions–that would be our greatest gift to our society. But he also warned that if we ceased to be salt, if we ceased to be light, and if we ceased to love, then we would become ineffective and lose our right to serve in his name."

In a society where people will throw others under the bus to get ahead, Christians should stand out by demonstrating a willingness to throw themselves under the bus, so to speak, to reach the lost with the saving hope of the gospel. Thomas Merton wrote, “To consider persons and events and situations only in the light of their effect upon myself is to live on the doorstep of hell.” Let’s demonstrate instead that we live on the door step of heaven by considering persons, events and situations, (in spite of their effect upon us), as opportunities to show the love of Jesus to the glory of his name.