I just want to throw out a reminder that is on my heart today after talking with a friend last night...
Don't judge people's heart motives; judge only their fruit. That's what
the Word says. Instead of saying don't judge, we would be better to say
don't condemn. Judgement, we are instructed to do...it is when and how
that we need to get straight.
Don't compare yourself or your family or your anything to any other...only to Jesus...The Word.
Remember when we read in Colossians about Paul encouraging them not to
judge about how people do things...whether they observe certain
festivals or not, etc...? Really ask God to make it revelation to you
that there is now NO condemnation because you and your Christian
brothers and sisters are IN Jesus.
Don't fall into any
condemnation about how your family celebrates this time of year. Walk
out what God puts on your heart. Don't compare your family or traditions
to others...examine them before the Word.
I remember last
year watching a lot of strife in the Body of Christ on whether we should
be in a church building on Christmas because it fell on a Sunday. At a
time we should have been lifting up Jesus everywhere because we ARE the
Church, sadly many high and lofty opinions were being lifted up and separating the Body instead.
Who are we to say what another's
walk should look like? The Bible is full of examples that didn't look
like good ones on the surface, but God confounded the wise and logical
thinkers with what looked like a whole hot mess of foolishness!
If I have learned anything, it is to not put God in a box. It
definitely wouldn't have "looked" holy or right for little virgin Mary
to be pregnant with our Savior or for Joseph to be with a pregnant
fiance! "Pregnant by divine intervention you say Joseph? You really
believe her? Bhaaaa!" I'm sure there were many condemning fellow
believers in their midst, but the Word of Truth lets us clearly know
that both of them had upstanding character (fruit) and what looked to be
scandalous was the very hand of God working!
We can feel so
certain that we know what someone else should or should not be
doing...that if they are not doing it like us they must be wrong or in
sin. We can feel like we are wrong by comparing ourselves to others.
Jesus came to free us all from that garbage! Don't fall into it. Don't
waste time feeling badly. Do what YOU are called to do and go light your
sphere of influence!
Our walks look different because we are all created individually. We all have different calls and different people to reach.
So in this season or whatever circumstance you may be in, don't waste
time feeling condemned about not doing something someone else is or
about doing something another person is not. Seek God's plan for YOUR
life and trust that in our differences, He is building pieces of a very
beautiful puzzle...that we can help one another experience the many
aspects of Him by looking through the eyes of grace!
Remember when we read in Colossians about Paul encouraging them not to judge about how people do things...whether they observe certain festivals or not, etc...? Really ask God to make it revelation to you that there is now NO condemnation because you and your Christian brothers and sisters are IN Jesus.
Don't fall into any condemnation about how your family celebrates this time of year. Walk out what God puts on your heart. Don't compare your family or traditions to others...examine them before the Word.
I remember last year watching a lot of strife in the Body of Christ on whether we should be in a church building on Christmas because it fell on a Sunday. At a time we should have been lifting up Jesus everywhere because we ARE the Church, sadly many high and lofty opinions were being lifted up and separating the Body instead.
Who are we to say what another's walk should look like? The Bible is full of examples that didn't look like good ones on the surface, but God confounded the wise and logical thinkers with what looked like a whole hot mess of foolishness!
If I have learned anything, it is to not put God in a box. It definitely wouldn't have "looked" holy or right for little virgin Mary to be pregnant with our Savior or for Joseph to be with a pregnant fiance! "Pregnant by divine intervention you say Joseph? You really believe her? Bhaaaa!" I'm sure there were many condemning fellow believers in their midst, but the Word of Truth lets us clearly know that both of them had upstanding character (fruit) and what looked to be scandalous was the very hand of God working!
We can feel so certain that we know what someone else should or should not be doing...that if they are not doing it like us they must be wrong or in sin. We can feel like we are wrong by comparing ourselves to others. Jesus came to free us all from that garbage! Don't fall into it. Don't waste time feeling badly. Do what YOU are called to do and go light your sphere of influence!
Our walks look different because we are all created individually. We all have different calls and different people to reach.
So in this season or whatever circumstance you may be in, don't waste time feeling condemned about not doing something someone else is or about doing something another person is not. Seek God's plan for YOUR life and trust that in our differences, He is building pieces of a very beautiful puzzle...that we can help one another experience the many aspects of Him by looking through the eyes of grace!
