Watch this segment of Steve Harvey's interview on TBN with Donnie McClurkin. It serves as a powerful reminder that as Christians God has called us to show his love to others. The foundation of Christianity is God's love displayed through grace. God sent his Son, Jesus to pay a price that mankind could not pay so that each of us might have the opportunity to be reconciled to God through Christ.
There are so many people that we can reach or help grow when we don't sit in judgement. I'm not suggesting that we shouldn't tell people the truth, but the bible says to speak the truth in love. What does it mean to speak the truth in love? It means that I tell you what the Word says because I love you and I truly want to see you be all the you were created to be. It's not my time to make myself feel better because I don't do what you do...It's not a license to attack and judge in the name of truth.
Here's the reality...prayerfully we are better than we use to be, but none of us have arrived. We are all a work in progress continually being transformed into the image of Christ. There are things that I have overcome that you still struggle with, but there are things you have overcome that are a struggle for me. So instead of us criticizing each other, we should help each other to grow in Christ.
Standing out in front of an abortion clinic with signs condemning the mother and physcians to hell, will never touch their hearts and allow them to see that God has another way. In fact, it just causes them to dig their heels in and hold on to their position. Telling people who are homosexual that God hates them will certainly never draw them to God or even allow them to hear our position on God's will for men and women. Spewing hatred in the name of God is just not God. God is LOVE! He hates sin, but not sinners. In fact, Psalm 103 tells us that He has not dealt with after our sins or rewarded us according to inquities. That is the message of grace...we don't get what we deserve. Hallelujah!
There is a parable in the bible where a man (let's call him John) owes a great debt to the king and he has no ability to pay. John throws himself on the mercy of the court and the king has compassion and forgives his debt. The man is free! He leaves the king's presence and runs into a man (we'll call him Dave) who owed him a much smaller about. John badgers Dave about paying. The Message translation says that, John grabs him by the collar. Daves begs for mercy, but John turns a deaf ear and has him thrown in jail. When the king finds out, he is enraged and throws John in jail until he can pay every dime. (See Matthew 18)
I know that most of the time, this scripture is used to talk about the importance of forgiving and having this compassion towards those who have injured us, but if we are required to show mercy towards people who have hurt us, shouldn't we also show mercey toward the person who is struggling with sin? How can we not remember the great mercy God shows towards us even when we aren't getting everything right? I believe that it grieves the heart of God to see us be critical and hateful towards other believers. It seems to be so easy to judge whether someone "really" loves God, when we should remember that this is spiritual warfare and even when people want to change, the enemies fights them hard to stop them. Maybe they haven't been taught; maybe they don't know how to change; maybe they don't want to change. The reality is....we don't know why people struggle with certain sins.
We do know that prayer changes things! We do know that in the times when we have struggled with sin, we didn't need to be kicked and torn down about it, we needed someone who was willing to help us walk through the process until we were free. We also know that Jesus has never torn us down because we didn't change fast enough...He keeps on loving, instructing and leading us into a life of total freedom.
Challenge: If there is anyone in your life that you are judging....put them first on your prayer list. Pray for them before you pray for anyone, including yourself. Ask God to help you see them the way He does. Ask for wisdom to minister to them. It's hard to judge someone when you're seeing them from the eyes of love....
Don't forget to watch the link!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkybh5XwUQk
