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| "And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion..." Matthew 14:14 |
But
then you have to think… What is it that Jesus would do? When Jesus was here, he was with what was
considered at that time as the “dregs” of society, the prostitutes, the tax
collectors, the lepers. Time and time
again it astonished Jesus’ followers that he would be where they least expected
him, or wanted him to be.
But
the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained
to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and
sinners?" Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a
doctor, but the sick. I have not come to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:30-32)
Jesus
looked beyond the individual, right into their heart. He knew the heart of who
they were. If we are to call ourselves “Christians”
(which means to be Christ-like) we have to think no matter how unfamiliar we
are with the lifestyle of an individual, how Jesus would want us to
respond. We are called to be
Christ-like.
We
forget that there is NO degree of sin with God.
Sin is just that SIN. Whether you
lie, cheat, steal, kill, etc… It is all sin.
And God recognizes it as such.
There is no one who is “better” than another. No matter what your back ground is.
I
have found myself thinking a great deal about the people who came down with
leprosy in the days of the Bible. They
were ridiculed, they were ostracized, and they were judged by those around
them. At that time they were under the “Old
Testament” – the law portion of the Bible.
I cannot even imagine what that must have been like for them. In serious physical and emotional pain, not
dead – but probably living with the wish that they were dead. Leprosy is not a common disease anymore, but
there are other diseases in this day and age that can cause an individual to feel just as
ostracized and alone. When I think of
what Jesus would do in those situations, I think His reaction would be the same
as it was back then – one of love. He reached out and touched those people that were considered "unclean" or "untouchable. His life was one
of compassion. He was unselfish. Giving, loving, caring - Isn’t that the way were
are supposed to be when we come in contact with someone who is hurting? Either
physically or emotionally? If we don’t
show them the love of Christ, who will?
My
own sins and faults are ever before me, I cannot understand how anyone can feel
they have the audacity to be able to judge or the right to judge someone else. What a dangerous place to be where you feel
you have the authority and right to judge someone else. Have you walked in their shoes? Do you know
what led them to make the mistakes they have made in their life? What about the mistakes YOU have made? Are you really in a place where you can stand in judgment of
someone else? I can honestly and passionately say – “NOT I!!!”
The
Bible tells us:
“Do
not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you
will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "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? 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? 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. "(Matthew 7:1-5)
You
may read that and say, “Yes, Kelly – but I have never done A,B, or C.” To which I would look at you and say, “That may
be true, but D,E, and F are JUST as bad. So stop standing in judgment of
someone else and be more concerned about how God is viewing YOU.” The Bible tells us that:
“All
of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like
filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us
away.” (Isaiah 64:6)
What
should we do??? We should repent. We should confess our sins. We should admit to where we ourselves have
missed the boat! We should ask God to
help us, to forgive us, to strengthen us and change whatever needs changing
within us. Our lives are our individual
journeys and there will be MANY times when we “miss the boat” and have to back
up and repent and confess again. I know
that I have. I think it is just in
admitting it that you are on the right path.
“Lord, I can’t get through this life without You. I
NEED You. Forgive me when I sin. Show me, teach me, guide me, help me!” And He will!
We ALL have things we need to work on – and I think that it is the way
it will be for as long as we have life in our bodies. The point is to admit it and not deny
it! To work on ourselves and instead of
judging others – show them compassion!
Show them love! Be Christ-like
and ask yourself, “What would Jesus have me do???” If that is not something you can relate to, than at the very least - ask yourself how you yourself would want to be treated if you were in that person's shoes?
If
someone has fallen – does it do them any good to rub their face in the dirt? If
someone is hurting, does it help them to point it out to them in judgment and
mock them and make them feel worse than they already do?
I can assure you that when I mess up no one can beat myself up better
than I can. I'm pretty good at holding a grudge against my ownself.The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap,in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?""No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you,"Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."(John 8:4-11)
Compassion,
love, forgiveness and showing them God’s grace, you cannot become “their God”
(nor would God want you to) but you can direct them to Him. Your own
past and what you have gone through can be used as a great encouragement to others, so that they will know
that they are not alone. Our own
testimonies can draw people closer to knowing God than anything else. Even if it is admitting your faults or
weaknesses to someone else. The only
perfect person to live was Jesus.
We
are not called to be “comfortable” but to be there for someone else – that they
would see “Christ in us” the Holy Spirit that came into our lives the day we
accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and realize that God’s love is
true. It’s real. And He is no respecter of persons. God has NO favorites. As He has loved me – He loves YOU. YES YOU – just as you are right now. In the middle of your stinky mess. He will take that “mess” and make a “message
out of it.” Because our Father is in the
business of restoration.
“And
that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you
were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our
God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11)
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