From October 13, 1988
1 John 4:20 – “For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.”
The earth is a proving ground for heaven. We who are being called to live in the presence of God, must first demonstrate that we can live in the presence of men. If we do not submit to rightful authority on earth, by what stretch of the imagination allows us to think we will automatically submit to the rightful, righteous authority of God in heaven? If we do not demonstrate compassion here on earth, how will we relate to a being whose very nature is compassion? If we do not learn the life of self-sacrifice on earth, how can we live in heaven where the rule of the saints is the perpetual laying down of our lives for one another to the glory of God?