If this is the End Times, or not

1. Love. Like, really well. Be patient. Kind. Tenderhearted, forgiving. Overlook offenses. Go out of your way to be good and kind.
2. Love more. To the people close to you- the ones you have to work with every day, the ones that ask the same stupid questions all the time, the ones that spill their cup every time you set it on the table. The ones that are always around you and you might forget to hug, or forget to be kind to, the ones that you are usually brisk and business-like with. Love them.
3. Love others. Especially the ones you don’t like. The ones that take from you- are rude to you. The ones that are unkind to you or threatening. Be bold and lay down your life for the ones you most disagree with. Go after the one who cuts off contact with you.
4. Love, really, love. Don’t win every argument or get the best of every deal- but instead- love. Don’t look out for number one, look out for others.
5. Guys, we have to love. Jesus said we would be known by our love. Not by our perfect theology or by our amazing prophetic insights. Nothing matters except that we know how to love, like Christ loved us. He died for us when we hated him. He literally said: “If you love me, you will keep my commands.” and then he said, “This is my command: that you love one another.” I know, I know, he also said the Greatest Commandment is to Love the Lord your God- but how do you love God? By obeying his commandment!

I feel like one of the worst things about this year has been how divisive everything has been. The church will NOT STAND if we can’t stand together! We have to major on the things we agree on, and stop letting the enemy point out and highlight the places where there is friction! We have to be known by our love, by the commitment we have to our brothers and sisters that says- I won’t let you go. I value you and relationship with you, even if it makes me uncomfortable.

Okay, I’m not immune to the pull to be offended. It’s easy to look at the other side of a political or even a church disagreement and say: “If they think like that, they’re obviously not real Christians. Therefore, I don’t have to fellowship with them.”

But guys! The mark of a real Christian is not that they have the right opinions! It’s that they love! So in that example, the very fact that I’m willing to withdraw love over a disagreement is a sign that I’m the one that’s not a real Christian.

Okay, that’s my advice for the End Times.