John 13:34 & 35 – “A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this you know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (Even In Politics).  ‘Parenthesis added’

 Beloved, as the political elections have ended my heart is grieved and heavy.  As a Christian my heart is grieved because of the hurtful words & angry displays of emotion that carried angry actions with them that I heard and experienced between so many of my Christian brothers and sisters throughout this political process.  It is not grieved because one is a democrat and one is a republican, it is grieved by the unloving actions, hurtful words, and judge-mental character assassinations that cause long-standing division and disunity.  It is not the differences of one’s political beliefs that are so damaging to unity; it is the attitudes, the words, the self-righteous disposition that comes from the body of Christ, (which is made up of both republicans and democrats) attacking each other. 

 In Matthew 22:39 the Lord said that the second greatest command was to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  That does not mean that we must all think alike, that we must all have the same mind and opinion.  It does mean that in spite of our differences we must love each other.  We must pray for each other.  We must pray for the love of God to fill our hearts that we may be able to agree to disagree but do it in love that others may see the love of God in us and the genuine care for each other in spite of our differences.

 Whether you are republican or democrat, we are given the command to love each other and to pray for one another.  Our unity comes in our love for each other and our genuine care for each other.  Beloved, let’s pray for our own hearts to be absolutely consumed with the love of God that we may love as He does.  Let us pray to love the sinner, the prostitute, the tax collector, the republican and the democrat.  Let us ask God to help us commit to pray for one another simply out of love, not in what we think he or she should be or do.

 A Pastor once said “Our flag is red, white, and blue; but our nation is a rainbow of red, yellow, brown, black, and white.  It is a nation of many people with various beliefs — and we’re all precious in God’s sight.” – Pastor J. Jackson

 A young man once wrote: “It strikes me as a Christian that we often have more charitable attitudes toward ideological allies than we do toward our brothers and sisters in Christ with whom we disagree on matters of politics.”  

 God bless you!  God bless us all to love each other (and act upon that love) as He loves us!!!