I have been hearing a lot about this Group from Westboro Baptist Church that Picket at the Funerals of Fallen Solders. Now, I have never been in the military but have many family members that have, including both of my fathers. One was in Vietnam and was almost killed when his jeep drove over a land mine. I would personally be very insulted if these people were at my funeral. Yes, I would be dead, so what, but my family would have to deal with them. Christ is about Grace and Mercy. Does that mean we tolerate certain things just to be “people” friendly? No. But, we do not have to be hatefully. If you are helping people to come to Christ, you do it with love and understanding, not hate or Judgment. Church discipline inevitably involves making judgments and even judging people's behaviors, but it can be done in a nonjudgmental and humble manner. Boy, do they give Christians a bad name. No wonder non-Christians think Christians are hypocrites!
I remember leaving a church service as a teen, and this man had just given his life to Christ, and after the service he went outside to have a cigarette. One of the elders of the church went up to him and said “you just gave your life to Christ you are not supposed to be smoking or you will lose your salvation”(paraphrasing)…, in a very judgmental way. Needless to say, he never came back to the church. Now, I understand some churches have their rules they feel are Biblical, I got that, but that situation could have been handled a whole lot differently.
That situation has always stayed with me. It actually got me thinking a lot about God and all these “rules” there were In order to be “Christian” and right with God, as a teen. I became a little rebellious during my senior year of high school. I feel some of these churches confuse trying to help people have a relationship with Christ or be right with God, with DON’T DO THIS OR THAT, and make people live in FEAR of GOD rather than Fearing God, totally two different things (another Blog entry).
Okay, Joe where are you going with this now?
In our lives we are always around people. Our spouses, kids, coworkers, Church family, etc. It is so easy to talk about what someone is doing wrong than what they are doing right, or we spot what they are doing wrong easier than what they may be doing right.
It is Like someone trying to tell you everything you do is wrong, you don’t do this, I hate when you do this, blah blah blah. Yet that same person does those very same things to either you or others. I think this happens a lot in relationships.
Think about Parents trying to tell a child they should not talk about a person who let’s say is overweight, and can even get upset with the child when they hear them say something.
The Child constantly hears their parent making fun or criticizing an overweight person. If the child brings it to the attention of the Parent, they say “I am not doing that, I am not saying that”, don’t judge me” “don’t criticize me” You get the picture?
What is the kid going to think? “I can tell people whatever I want, but it does not apply to me”; “It must be okay for them to do it, so why should I bother listening to them”.
Someone comes in yelling and screaming all the time, and yet you happen to raise your voice in order to be heard, and you become the one who is attacking. This kid thinks well, it must really be okay to do that because they do it all the time.
The parent’s in integrity is lost!
I love this passage below and the Message does a great job interpreting it.
Matthew 7:1-5 (The Message)
1-5 "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
Matthew 7:1-5 (New International Version, ©2011)
1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
PRAYER
Lord, you are so awesome! Thank you for who you are! Thank you for being a loving, caring, and understanding God. Lord, we are not perfect and you know it, and I ask for Patience, Wisdom, Love, understanding, and whatever else you want to send our way Lord. I ask that you help us with our tongues Lord. Be that voice in our head that stops us from saying anything judgmental, or criticizing. Lord that if we need to be corrective, that you give us the grace and mercy to handle these situations. I lift Japan up again, Lord, continue to show yourself to them and those around the world! In Your Precious name! AMEN AMEN!
