Keeping Love During The End Times

We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. All who hate a brother or sister or sibling are murderers, and you know that murderers don’t have eternal life abiding in them. We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for the one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister or sibling in need and yet refuses help?

Little children, let us love not in word or speech but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us, for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness before God, and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.
Scripture Reading 1
1 John 3:14-24 (NRSV)

They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray, for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Don’t go after them.

“When you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t be terrified, for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and plagues, and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

“But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify.
Scripture Reading 2
Luke 21:7-13 (NRSV)