~Billy Drago as Al Capone right hand man Frank Nitti in "The Untouchables," certainly not a friend to too many people~
2 Corinthians 5: 16-17 NKJV
I used to keep a short list. Not a "To do" list, but a list of those people who had wronged me in one way or another at some point. Now, this wasn't a list written on paper, but one I kept by memory alone. I knew them, I disliked them, and I was hell bent on letting them know it at some point! There was only one problem with this mental list of mine, the more people I added to it, the more bitter of a person I became. Of course, blinded by my anger, I didn't see this change in myself. Now, we've all had people in our lives who we would swear up and down would never be any friend of ours. Usually, it's for some perceived slight or behavior which we see in others that draws our bitterness toward them. As this happens, our behavior often changes as well. For it is hard for anyone to carry such hatred without it affecting their behavior. Ok, you think hate is too strong of a word? Well, what would you call it? You judge someone because they mistreat you. You rage at someone because you don't like their behavior. You can sugar coat it any way you like, but it's simply us judging others. There is a thought I once had which I carry with me to this day in such situations. What if our heavenly Father used that very same standard of judgement upon us that we place on those whom we do not like. How many of us would ultimately be saved? I'm sure that the ranks of hell would fill up rather quickly were this the case. Oh, what a friend we have in Jesus! For Christ Jesus, knowing full well that we were sinners, became sin in our place in order that we would be saved from the judgement we deserved. Yes, as we ourselves were born into sin, it took the love and grace of God to put to death our very sin nature. How arrogant of a christian are we to even assume that His forgiveness applies only to ourselves?
Then Jesus answered and said, "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came downn that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave gthem to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.' So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?" And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Luke 10: 30-37 NKJV
It is a mistake which I have made on more than a few occasions. In the face of the misbehavior of others, I have resorted to being in judgement over that person. My reasoning sounded just, they had done wrong to me, so I was justified in righting the wrong. Again I ask, what if that very weight of judgement which I have used on others was used by God upon me? After all, I deserved it. For it is only by my Lords grace that Christ Jesus perished on that cross for my sins. I had done absolutely nothing to earn His pardon. I was guilty, yet God proclaimed me clean! However, casting aside my arrogance, I accept that it is not just myself whom Jesus gave Himself for, but he died that all might be saved through Him {John 3:17}. Obviously, I haven't cornered the market on Gods forgivness. So, the million dollar question remains, who am I to decide who is forgiven or not? For that is not my job, but Gods. We are not in the business of granting that favor which only our Lord can give. As recipients of our Lords forgiveness, we can only stand in awe at His love and compassion upon us.
I recall a conversation I had not too long ago with a co worker of mine. Now, one of those persons on my mental "list" had been a man whom I had worked side by side with for over two years. Believe me, there was no love lost between us. For he was arrogant, non christian and a know it all. All characteristics which I told myself over and over deserved my condemnation. However, a few other co workers had also noticed that my behavior had also changed when I was working with this man, and they let me know it. It was something I hadn't seen in myself, perhaps blinded by my own judgement and arrogance. I saw a side of myself I didn't like. For it wasn't my place to judge anyone, but as Christ said of the kind Samaritan, we are only to "Go and do likewise."
~Scott~
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