God of Love

In the last few weeks, I have lost a cousin and a dear friend. My cousin was a committed Christian, my friend a Jew. Some of my Christian friends would tell me only my cousin is with God because only he had accepted Christ as his Savior. I do not believe that. My friend was a sweet, intelligent man that fought a gallant battle with Parkinson's disease. If he is not with God, then surely God is a vindictive being that does not care for his creation. I do not believe that. The God that I know is a God of love, a God that commands us to love him and love our neighbor. The God that I love wants to hold us close and weeps when we stray, just as Jesus wept when he beheld Jerusalem, knowing what was to come for those within that city.