Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Speaker and author Jen Hatmaker has just released a revised version of her book Interrupted...subtitled
“When Jesus wrecks your comfortable Christianity”. Hatmaker maintains
that we should operate in a “Matthew 25” mentality, where Jesus says...”
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of
the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”(NIV)
She talks a lot about “the least” and says that many of us will stand
before Jesus someday and tell him that we loved the poor, we invited the
lonely into our homes, we clothed the naked and fed the hungry...and
“We did that all for You.” And she says Jesus will say that...”you did that unto Me.”
She explains...”It’s not surprising that He is pleased when we adopt
His bias toward the bottom. It’s startling that He is actually served.
We clearly don’t comprehend how personally Jesus takes it when we love
suffering people.”This same principle applies to those who sin or offend us in some way. When we operate in forgiveness, grace and mercy to them...when we share their burdens and give them the benefit of the doubt...we are demonstrating the love of Christ for them – and pleasing Him immensely at the same time.
I don’t know about you, but I so want to please Jesus. I want to represent Him...and represent Him well! I want others to see His love and tender care in my actions and gestures...and to want to know Him intimately themselves. This cannot happen if we are critical and judgmental. It will not result from our indifference or downright disdain for “the least”. We have to toss aside all of our smug attitudes and “holier-than-thou” stances...and seek Jesus’ guidance as we live creatively...mercifully...graciously.
Hatmaker says, “As for me, I’m going to gamble on the fact that Jesus didn’t have much patience with believers who attempted to limit the scope of ‘who my neighbor is’ to the fewest possible people (see Luke 10:25-37). Jesus always colored outside the lines here, extending grace and healing to those well beyond His people group. He often healed people first; they believed second. If I’m wrong, the worst thing that could happen is that some desperate people are cared for, and I’m guessing Jesus will look the other way. He seems to favor unmerited grace. To me, this is a wheat-and-weeds issue, and since that’s not my call to make, I’ll just err on the side of mercy and let Jesus sort it out at the harvest.”
What about you? Are you willing to “err on the side of mercy”? Are you willing to show grace and compassion for “the least” and those who fall into sin? Have you fully recognized that YOU could be the one in need of grace and mercy...even within the next few minutes? Don’t you think it’s time we started to live out a Matthew 25 faith and complete Christ’s law? Will this be the day that you begin?
©2014 Debbie Robus
*Order your copy of Interrupted before July 31st and receive a 20% discount. Click here to order. The website says that this item is presently out of stock and will be available July 30. According to information I have been given, you should still be able to get the discount on that date!
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