Today, my devotional was about my body being a temple of the holy spirit. It says that I must exhibit in my own body the life of the Lord Jesus, not mysteriously or secretly, but openly and boldly.
1 Corinthians 9:27 "I discipline my body and bring it into subjection..." Devotional says "Most of us are much more severe in our judgement of others than we are in judging ourselves. We make excuses for things in ourselves, while we condemn things in the lives of others simply because we are not naturally inclined to do them!"
AHA! I AGREE! And I think this helps explain so much. We find it so easy to persecute people who struggle with things that we do NOT struggle with. Example: Is homosexual sex a sin? Yes, according to the bible, you are not treating your body as the temple of the holy spirit if you are engaging in homosexual sex. However, the bible also clearly warns us against ANY sex outside of marriage. Also, against greed. Also against gluttony. As a matter of face, gluttony is mentioned MUCH more frequently in the bible than homosexual acts. But, last time I checked, I have not noticed any "churches" showing hatred for and openly persecuting FAT people! Can you imagine? "We are the church of Jesus Christ. But, if you struggle with gluttony, you are not welcome to worship here. We will not accept you." Or how about greed? Haven't noticed any churches that "ban greedy people" or make them feel unwelcome or unworthy to join their church community and learn about Jesus' grace and mercy and power.
I have friends who hate that I think homosexual sex is a sin. I get that. Because, to them, that means I am sitting up on my high and mighty throne casting MY judgment on others. That's not my intention at all. It really isn't. But, I get it. That's what the "Christian Church" is doing. So, I get lumped in with that institution.
So, Why do certain sinful behaviors seem so easy to be judgemental of? Because, it's a sin we are not personally inclined to be tempted by! So, it's an easy target. It's easy for me to roll my eyes and "tsk tsk" someone who is greedy, materialistic, or just prone to making unwise financial decisions. People who value name brands and status. But, shame on me! I'm no better. And, if I'm honest, I know my own struggle in this area. First of all, obviously, pride. But, secondly, my insatiable desire for free or cheap stuff. Then, having too much stuff and knowing that it is taking my time and energy to organize, sort, discard, or salvage each thing that comes into my possession. But, that's easy to hide from others. Therefore, I also get a lot of pride built up.
Or how about when my sister in law decided to have a baby, even though she wasn't married? Again, easy for me to judge. My thoughts?? "That is so blatantly outside of God's will for you life! You call yourself a follower of Jesus, yet you clearly step outside of His design and will for your life because you want to?!" Well, guess what? I do that ALL THE TIME. Again, it may not be as obvious to others. But, every time I choose to serve myself and my own desires instead of others, I'm outside of His will. Every time I take my frustrations out on my kids and snap at them or belittle them because I am grumpy, I'm blatantly disregarding God's will and design. I do it all the time. But, God blessed me in way I can barely comprehend - with an amazing husband, two beautiful healthy children, incredible in-laws, etc, etc, etc. Who am I to say what I would do if I were in my 30's and those things hadn't happened for me yet? I will never know what that feels like, so why am I judging? Why? Because, I will never find myself in that situation, so it's easy to judge.
Wow. I could go ON and ON! It really is easy to judge. But, I need to be only judging MYSELF. Not others. God has given me the responsibility to rule over ALL "the temple of the holy spirit" including my thoughts and desires. It is my responsibility to accept the grace of God and the power of the holy spirit, and present myself as a "living sacrifice". Dead to my selfishness, alive to what God wants me to be.
So, let's challenge each other.....quit judging others. But, feel free to judge yourself.
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