Daily Devotional for July 9, 2015

John 1:11-12
Even in his own land and among his own people, the Jews, he was not accepted. Only a few would welcome and receive him. But to all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust him to save them.

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

If one of your relatives or friends showed up on your doorstep, you would surely open the door and invite them inside.  If you saw a child who appeared to be lost or unattended, you would stay with them until the adult in charge could be located…or other arrangements could be made.  If you saw an injured animal, I know that many of you would do everything in your power to rescue this creature – and maybe rehabilitate it.  If you visited with a newcomer to your town, I would hope that you would invite them to attend your church’s worship services…and that you would welcome them into your community.

But what if some of these people knocked on your door (and I know that the answer will possibly be different for each of you)…
Jared “the Subway guy”

• Caitlyn Jenner
• Kanye West
• Ted Cruze
• Presidents George Bush – Sr. AND Jr.
• President Jimmy Carter
• Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS
• Prince William and Kate Middleton
• Billy Graham
• Robin Roberts
• Anderson Cooper
• Paula Deen
• Bill Cosby
• Miley Cyrus
• Ray Rice
• Jerry Jones
• Former Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice
• Donald Trump
• President Obama
• Former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton
• the disheveled homeless guy you notice frequently on street corners in your town
• the single mother everyone seems to be talking about who lost her kids because of a drug problem
• the pastor who “fell from grace”
• the teacher who had sex with an underage student
• the kid who was arrested for DUI, sexting or bullying

I’ve included a mix of people that includes many who the media portray as notable or respectable…and those who a lot of people disdain for a variety of reasons…as well as a few that some people revere and respect greatly.  And as I said, your answer about each person listed may vary. But let me ask you…would you invite these people into your home?  Do you think that Jesus should be willing to die for each one of them – and for all of their sins? Do you realize that God loves each one of these people…and all others…just as much as He loves you?  Do you understand that when you act in an unloving manner toward any of these, you have insulted the God who freely offered you salvation through His only Son, Jesus Christ?

Do you really get it?  Do you understand just how much Jesus loves us…how much He offers each and every one of us who have never, ever seen Him in the flesh? Many of Jesus’ own people rejected Him, and yet He loved them and died anyway – potentially for their sins.  What does this tell us about how we are to treat others…even those whose thoughts, ideas and actions differ from ours – or may even repulse us in some way?  The Jesus who died for us died for them, too – if they repent of their sins and accept His gift of salvation.  And He commanded us to love others as He loved us. 

So the way I see it, we cannot be saying ugly, hateful things about these people – or anyone else.  We cannot be calling them names, judging them…and treating them as “less than.”  Do not misunderstand me…I’ve listed some people who have been accused of horrific things.  I do not support abuse of any kind…or torture or persecution.  I do not agree with the views of some of these people on many subjects.  But I am no better than them in God’s eyes, because we have ALL sinned and fallen short.  NONE of us deserves Jesus’ salvation…but He offers it to us anyway.

If we want to “walk the walk,” we have to be willing to not only “talk the talk”…we must also be ready to love others as Jesus loves them…and as He loves us.  How well are you doing?

©2015 Debbie Robus