LEST WE FORGET

It's too easy to hide behind the Word of God and use it to justify our own lust for blood or vengeance or to justify the rightness of our prejudice.

Many who call themselves the followers of Jesus have a great intolerance for those who are not. They even justify their hatred for those who are "sinners" by quoting Old Testament passages where God makes it lawful to put to death anyone who practices abominations against God's Law.

However, not only did Jesus command us to love our Enemies, He also made it clear that God loved them too and that He allowed the rain to fall on the just and the unjust.

Because of God's great, unconditional love of others, we too are commanded to be loving, and forgiving, and go out of our way to express this uncommon brand of love in the World.

I love this passage in 1 Corinthians where Paul reminds those who are in the Church what God's Law says about those who are sexually immoral, practitioners of witchcraft and thieves.

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Cor 6:9-10)

At first glance this verse appears to add fuel to the fire for those who are eager to condemn those "sinners" around us. But then Paul says something amazing in verse 11: "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

Wow. Look at that. The early Church was full of ex-prostitutes, thieves, homosexuals, drunks, and swindlers.

How did people like this come to be part of God's Eternal Family? If there wasn't someone around to love them and look past their sinfulness, they would never have found a home in the Family of God.

Apparently these same "sinners" had forgotten where they had come from and how far they had fallen.

We can be guilty of the same thing if we're not careful.

Let's always remember that all of us have been guilty of the same spirit of rebellion and selfishness, no matter what form it may have taken in our lives.

We all like sheep have gone astray. Thank God for His Amazing Grace and Love to each one of us!

peas,
kg