John 3:17-18
God didn’t go to all the trouble of
sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world
how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone
who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long
since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why?
Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of
God when introduced to him.
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.
Our cat Lucy had the most demure appearance – and she was
a sweet cat. She could sit and look pretty – and innocent! But in
truth, she had her “ways” – and she ran this household! Mabel, our
calico cat and Lucy’s litter mate, stays mostly upstairs with Greg
during the day…while Lucy stayed mostly with me downstairs – usually in
my office. Both cats had certain spaces in the house they claimed as
“theirs”...Lucy more than Mabel. We would catch the “girls” giving each
other loving face washings…but like all siblings, we had to break up a
few squabbles, too!
So Mabel has spent the last few days
tiptoeing around…looking for Lucy. It’s as if she is quite certain that
Lucy will emerge unexpectedly from some nook or cranny – that she is
waiting just around the corner to pounce. Clearly, she has “trust
issues”. And this is how we often react to God. We are quite sure that
He is waiting in the wings to come down on us for something we said or
did…to remind us just how awful and unworthy we are of His love and
care. And nothing could be further from the truth.
Read this
passage again. God did not send Jesus to earth just so He could say,
“See how bad you are? You are NOTHING like Jesus! What is wrong with
you?!” In truth, God sent Jesus to say, “I know you have issues…I know
you aren’t perfect…but you are loved anyway. Trust me…believe in me…and
I will fix everything!”
Author and speaker Jen Hatmaker has just released a few chapters of her newest book,*For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards, which will be released in mid-August 2015. In the chapter titled “Dear Church…” she writes…
Church
people are regular old sinners too. If I could fix this, I would. As it
turns out, the church isn’t a gathering of shiny new pennies. It lets
anyone in the door! All sorts of hooligans fill the sanctuaries: kind
and good ones, angry and cynical ones, mean and judgmental ones, smart
and funny ones, broken and sad ones, weird and awkward ones, precious
and loving ones, scared and wounded ones, brave and passionate ones,
insiders and outliers, newbies and lifers and trying-one-more-timers.
Just a whole bunch of human people. Every church has all these folks. It
is just the hottest mess, but clearly you belong here because everyone
does. Find your little faith tribe (it exists) and learn to love it with
all the grace and humility you can muster.
I
don’t know about you, but I take heart in knowing that God is not
waiting to pounce on me for all of my misgivings. I am forever thankful
that He loves regular old sinners and hooligans like me…and I am
trusting that He will cover me in His love, grace and mercy every minute
of the day. What about you?
©2015 Debbie Robus
*http://www.amazon.com/Love-Fighting-Grace-Impossible-Standards/dp/0718031822/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426102938&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=hatmaker+for+the+lov
James 2:12-13
You will be judged on whether or not
you are doing what Christ wants you to. So watch what you do and what
you think; for there will be no mercy to those who have shown no mercy.
But if you have been merciful, then God’s mercy toward you will win out
over his judgment against you.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
We let Timothy choose the
restaurant for our lunch after church services, and he chose Burger
King! No surprise there...we have really not gone to Burger King for
Sunday lunch all summer (although we have eaten enough Kids’ Meals to
exhaust their gamut of “toys” for one promotional and start on
another!). Timothy wanted chicken strips... Zola said she wanted a
cheeseburger. But when the food came, Zola would not eat her burger.
Instead, she helped herself to one of the chicken strips that Greg and I
were sharing. So Greg ate half of her burger...and I ate the other
half. Rather than get upset with her, we “cut her some slack” and let
her eat what she would eat, which was chicken strips!
The
children had enjoyed a cupcake treat at Sunday school today and were
each given a Blow Pop sucker as we walked out the door, so we were not
surprised that they picked at their lunch a little. But they ate well
enough that we allowed them to share a small dish of ice cream
afterward. Yes, aunts and uncles indulge 3-and-5-year-olds...and we are
no exception, on occasion. We could have been inflexible and said,
“You eat what YOU chose,” and “You didn’t finish every bite, so no ice
cream today!” But we were “merciful” and considered all of the factors
as we made our decisions and reacted without over-reacting.
It may be a stretch to see how this relates to our everyday lives as Christians, but let’s break this down:
- We
don’t always know all of the circumstances in another person’s life.
The woman who snapped at you as she rang up your purchases in the
grocery check-out line may have been up all night with a sick or fussy
baby. A friend may not return calls because his car broke down, and the
tow and repairs were more than expected – or easily afforded – and
answering a message about last night’s game or next week’s poker party
may be the furthest thing on the radar!
- The person who
repeatedly declines your invitations to go out to eat or get together
may be strapped for cash and embarrassed to admit it. The friend who
never reciprocates and invites you to her house may be ashamed of its
condition and how little she has (materially) in comparison to others.
- The
person who acts all nervous and flustered at church may be dealing with
marital problems, an aging parent, or children who can’t seem to stay
out of trouble. The co-worker who says she can help you with a project,
then changes her mind mid-stream and “bugs out” on you may genuinely be
“flaky” – or she may be dealing with health issues, family troubles, or
bills that she has no clue how she will pay and a boss who is harassing
her to work harder and faster.
In other words,
there are many situations where we need to “cut others some
slack”...where we need to quietly “hand them a small dish of ice cream”
rather than judge them harshly or come down on them for not responding
or behaving as we expect. We can’t possibly know everything about every
situation involving those in our circle of friends and family
members...much less that of casual acquaintances. So we must learn to
operate in grace and mercy...to guard our thoughts and actions...and to
carefully monitor our responses and actions toward others. At every
turn, we must ask ourselves, “How would I want that person to treat me?”
Ask
yourself how you would feel if you thought someone was judging
YOU...because someone probably is! Will they see a person who operates
in grace and mercy toward others...a person who is kind and
compassionate and loves others as Jesus did? Or will they see someone
who is quick to accuse and react...someone who refuses to consider the
possibility that others might have extenuating circumstances or
situations that cause them to behave in a certain manner. Figure out
how you want God to treat you...and treat others the same way.
Sometimes, all it takes is the offer of “a small dish of ice cream” to
share God’s healing mercy with others. What flavor will you be serving?
©2014 Debbie Robus
