Grace
"You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out He hates all of the same people you do." -Anne Lamott
God has been teaching me a lot about grace especially in the past week reading through the Bible in 90 days again. Many times in my life I feel like when another "Christian" if that is really what they are treats me so bad I wish God's wrath on them, but they too remain his Children covered by his grace and mercy and blood. I guess that's why he commands that we love and pray for those who hurt us because we are just as guilty as the people who offend us. I read things in the Bible and I don't understand how God can be "okay" with what just happened, such as Jacob stealing Esau's birthright and blessing. Esau got mad! He wanted to kill Jacob. But aren't we all Esau? We don't understand how God can still love that person because we sure don't at the moment. But that isn't God's character, and aren't you glad?! What is essentially comes down to is viewing each other as siblings. Do siblings fight? Yes! But we make up and get on with life, we are each others keeper.
Here is how a Christian brother of mine put it, when Jesus is the focus of a church and when God is blessing and growing His kingdom through and in that church there is little time for the members to belittle and attack others in the body of Christ, especially from the pulpit. As Christians, as children of God, we should view on another as siblings. To be quick to defend one another, to feel free to disagree but never disown, tear down, or criticize each other out of envy, anger, or simple misinformation. Godly accountability, and church disciplines are all designed to be executed out of love and are surely lacking in today's church. However, too often what is not lacking is dishonor, pride, and envy. May the Holy Spirit convict us all of our shameful attacks on our spiritual brothers and sisters.
God has been teaching me a lot about grace especially in the past week reading through the Bible in 90 days again. Many times in my life I feel like when another "Christian" if that is really what they are treats me so bad I wish God's wrath on them, but they too remain his Children covered by his grace and mercy and blood. I guess that's why he commands that we love and pray for those who hurt us because we are just as guilty as the people who offend us. I read things in the Bible and I don't understand how God can be "okay" with what just happened, such as Jacob stealing Esau's birthright and blessing. Esau got mad! He wanted to kill Jacob. But aren't we all Esau? We don't understand how God can still love that person because we sure don't at the moment. But that isn't God's character, and aren't you glad?! What is essentially comes down to is viewing each other as siblings. Do siblings fight? Yes! But we make up and get on with life, we are each others keeper.
Here is how a Christian brother of mine put it, when Jesus is the focus of a church and when God is blessing and growing His kingdom through and in that church there is little time for the members to belittle and attack others in the body of Christ, especially from the pulpit. As Christians, as children of God, we should view on another as siblings. To be quick to defend one another, to feel free to disagree but never disown, tear down, or criticize each other out of envy, anger, or simple misinformation. Godly accountability, and church disciplines are all designed to be executed out of love and are surely lacking in today's church. However, too often what is not lacking is dishonor, pride, and envy. May the Holy Spirit convict us all of our shameful attacks on our spiritual brothers and sisters.
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