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I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. John 12:47
I have a confession to make. Sometimes I have a hard time telling people that I am a Christian. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Jesus with all my heart. I believe him to be the Messiah, the son of the living God. I believe in his death, resurrection and that he is coming again. I believe that he has forgiven all of my sins past present and future. I believe the Bible to be the written, inspired and inerrant word of God.
So why do I sometimes hesitate to tell people I’m a Christian you ask? Because people naturally tend to label each other according to their beliefs, opinions or actions.
Humanity is, by nature, a very judgmental people. We tend to label people by their lifestyle, their political opinions, the political party they belong to, the version of the Bible they read, and the church they attend among many other things.
It’s sad to say, but many times we label people according to their sin. We may say, he’s an addict. We don’t say that he has a problem with addiction. It may sound the same, but the attitude is different.
I could go on about the many other ways that we put labels on people. Labeling people is really just a form of judgment.
It’s interesting, that Jesus says He doesn’t judge those who disobey him. While we tend to judge people if they disobey God, or if they hurt us. Jesus doesn’t. Jesus doesn’t label people!
He did not come to judge people. He came to show people life. He came to show them a better way. He came to be their light in the darkness.
One time after saying grace before our meal at a fast food restaurant, we were approached by a homeless man. I have to admit, I was very judgmental. I was angry. I wanted to have a quiet meal with my family, not be asked for money by a homeless vagrant.
I know, terrible of me, right? But it gets worse. He came up to me and told me how happy he was to see someone thanking Jesus for their food before eating in public.
He struggled with addiction. He struggled with mental illness. Yet in that short time, he let us know he loved Jesus.
So, who have you judged lately? What labels do you put on those people that are different than you? Are they the labels that Jesus would put on them? Are they labels of love or are they labels of judgment? He calls us to love all people regardless of their struggles.
Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting. Psalms 133:3
What do you do during the dry times of life? When the doctor delivers a report that catches you totally off guard and leaves you numb? When you get that horrible call about a loved one’s accident? When you get divorce papers delivered to you without any warning? (You knew things were bad, but not that bad) When your job/business/career suddenly ends?
You pray, but your prayers don’ t make it past the ceiling. You try to read your Bible but the words are just letters on a page. You reach out to those who you thought would support you but find no one that is willing to listen, but plenty of people have all the answers for ‘what you need to do?’
It’s during those times that we just long for a hug, a little understanding, someone who will stand by us whether our struggles are a result of our own poor choices, or factors beyond our control.
The good news is that Jesus has an answer. Way back at creation, when He saw your life and the trials you’d need to endure. He implemented the perfect plan for your life and that plan is the church.
Now, before you stop reading, try to take a look at the church Jesus envisioned. The church isn’t a building with programs and music and those gifted with teaching and Biblical knowledge presenting a well-rehearsed diatribe.
Nope, the church Jesus envisioned was people. People with a common goal of helping each other endure life. People with a knack for being encouragers and intercessors. He tells us that a group of two or three is a church where he dwells. It’s not about numbers!
Hours before Jesus was brutally murdered he prayed in a garden to His Father. He didn’t pray for churches to have strong programs and classy buildings. He prayed for people. He prayed we would be united by a common bond of love. He prayed for unity.
Unity is best exemplified by harmony. If you’ve ever heard an orchestra or choir sing you know how beautiful harmony can be. Look up an A cappella group on YouTube. I love A cappella music. One of the things I try to do is try to figure out who is singing which part. If the group is good, it’s hard to tell because they sound like one voice.
David gives a beautiful picture of harmony in Psalm 133. He likens harmony as refreshing as dew from Mt Hermon. It’s said that while Mount Hermon was very dry, the dew would form so heavily that it poured off the mountain as waterfalls.
Dew forms during the darkness, yet refreshes in the morning. God’s blessings are like dew. They come as a refreshment during the dry times of life and often come to those who live in harmony. Too often we miss harmony because we seek uniformity. We aren’t all the same!
If you are in a dry time seek those who can be like dew in your life. Seek out those who accept you regardless of why you are where you are. If you are living in the blessing of God’s ‘dew’ share it with those who are dry.
We aren’t all the same, but with Jesus’ help we can live in harmony. We can be dew to each other!
The Lord swore an oath to David with a promise he will never take back: “I will place one of your descendants on your throne.” Psalms 132:11
A friend of mine was promised an important position in the business he worked for by its owner once he retired. Unfortunately, the owner died unexpectedly leaving the business to family members. When he told them of the promise the owner had made, none of them knew about it or believed him. In fact, upon mentioning the promised position, his position was terminated and he was sent packing.
There’s an old saying, “A promise is only as good as the person making the promise.” There tends to be a lot of truth to that statement. It’s easy to make promises, but making good on those promises? That’s another story. We see that every election season. Promises made to get a vote don’t often result in fulfillment.
The promises of man are fickle, but the promises God gives us can be counted on to be true. The number of promises God gives us is up for conjecture. Suffice it to say there are many.
Psalm 132, is one example of a promise God gave to King David. God promises that David’s throne would last forever and that there would be one to sit on it that would be an eternal King. We know this promise is fulfilled through Jesus Christ. God’s promises are something we can count on for eternity.
But let’s take a closer look at that promise. David was called a man after God’s own heart and it’s because of this that he was promised his throne would be eternal.
The real beauty doesn’t lie in the promise itself, but in what happens after this promise was made. Although David was considered a ‘man after God’s own heart’ he certainly wasn’t perfect. In fact, in many areas he failed miserably. He was a lousy husband, a distant father, a murderer, a bad friend, and the list goes on.
Following David to the throne throughout history, we see a line of Kings guilty of murder, incest, rape, violence, idolatry and rebellion.
But God’s promise, inspite of man’s rebellion held true. He promised messiah would come from David’s lineage and that’s exactly what happened, in spite of the failure of men.
The beauty of God’s promises is that they are not dependent on our performance or character. They are dependent on his power to forgive, love and extend mercy to us knowing full well that we will fail. The struggles we go through now won’t change our destiny. Our problems don’t affect God’s promises. We can count on him!
“I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” John 9:25
Have you ever been questioned for your beliefs? Have you ever had someone confuse you with ‘convincing evidence’ that you are wrong?
Today, more than ever the Bible, the resurrection or even existence of Jesus, even basic Christian morality is in question. It’s been placed on the main stage of ridicule. Those of us that hold to the teachings of Jesus and the Word of God are labeled as intolerant, racist, homophobic and a plethora of other labels.
Even within the body of Christ there are those who seem to see their mission in life to find fault in certain pastors, worship styles, etc. Whether they intend to cause doubt and confusion, doesn’t really matter. The divisiveness they create weakens the testimony body of Christ and, in my opinion, makes the church a laughing stock to the unbeliever or former believer. They wave their theological degrees as some sort of flag of importance.
The Apostle John tells a story in his gospel of a blind man that Jesus healed. Blind from birth, people questioned whether he sinned, or his parents sinned causing the blindness. Poor guy was judged from the very beginning!
Now if you were healed from blindness you may think life would be much better for you. Not the case for this guy, not at first anyway. The religious elite questioned his identity. They questioned his integrity. They bombarded him with all sorts of theological questions that he couldn’t answer. Finally, in desparation, he answers them by saying, “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” (John 9:25)
I’m with the blind guy! I don’t have all the answers. I don’t understand everything in the Bible. I don’t understand completely why God allows what He allows. I just know this: “I was blind and Jesus healed me.” That’s enough.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 