They Will Know We Are Christians...

By our love. In the Bible, we are told that God is love. Now, it's important to distinguish that love is not God. There is no transitive property to this statement. We have our concept of love, which probably involves heart-shaped boxes with chocolates inside, a flying naked baby with a bow and arrow, and a romantic comedy montage set to the newest John Mayer song. Still, that is a mere shadow, a pale imitation of what love truly is. God is the true expression of Love.

We are living in a world engorged with lusts and distractions but starving for True Love.

I went to a conference of former Muslims not too long ago and had the privilege of listening to a panel of them talk about what brought them to Christ- without fail, they said the major component was love.

Which leads to a difficult set of questions.

Am I expressing God's love?

Do I love my neighbor?

Do I even know my neighbor?

Have I let the individualistic ways of the American culture overwhelm my duty to the community of God?

As I ask myself these difficult questions, I understand that I am not nearly as advanced a Christian as I like to imagine I am. There is yet more work to be done.

But love covers a multitude of sins.

I pray that as I walk through life, I remember to smile at Muslims and hold the door open for older ladies. I pray that I am not more involved with my iPod than with my environment, and that I am not more aware of the politics, music and movies that blare in the background than of what truly matters. John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that none would perish but that all would have everlasting life. If He can give all of that, is it too much to ask that I reflect and share His love?