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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Sunday, March 29, 2020
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :I Came Not to Judge the World, but to Save It Bible Verse :John 12:44-50 "Jesus cried aloud: "Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me."" Message:
One of the biggest criticisms of Christians and Christianity by non-Christians is that they are judgmental. People are very sensitive to perceived criticism, and it makes them defensive. And all too often, the criticism is justified. We are, after all, human. We get angry at people who do bad things and condemn them. Sometimes, we feel like we hate them.
But Christians are not morally superior to anyone. If that sounds disturbing, let me repeat it: Christians are not morally superior to anyone. An attitude of moral superiority is diametrically opposite to Christ's teachings.
Judgment for sin is God's sole right. (Romans 12:19) Yes, people who do not avail themselves of God's grace will face eternal darkness, or hell, or damnation, or however you might picture the fate of the unsaved after the death of their body. But this is a matter of salvation, not morality. By our nature every one of us has sinned, again and again, and are doomed to eternal darkness when our bodies die. The Bible tells us it is impossible for us to live a life without sin. (Romans 5:12; Genesis 8:28)
When Christ says that he came to save, not to judge, it is because there was nothing for Him to judge. Everyone was "guilty". (Romans 3:23) Christ came to show us a way out, a way to avoid the darkness that every human faced at the time of death. He didn't come to criticize some people and not others; He came to tell us that we are all in the same boat. Murderer and holy man, street thug and honest hardworking mother, all of us have sinned.
As he said of John the Baptist, “Among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew 11:11)
Being a better person is, hopefully, one effect of taking Christ into our hearts, but it is not the cornerstone of what it means to be a Christian. We cannot become perfect; we fall short of the glory of God, and all of us are doomed by our sin.
So when Christ said, "I came not to judge the world, but to save the world," about all we can say in our favor is that we have been smart enough, or lucky enough, to accept the gift of grace that Christ brought to us. It does not make us morally superior to our neighbors who have not accepted the gift; and even more important, such a feeling of moral superiority is itself a grievous sin of pride.
Judgment of others is sin, and we should accept others without judgment “so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” (1 Peter 2:2) But just as important, judgmentalism in the name of Christ drives people away from Him. We must remember that we are “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.” Peter tells us,
“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” (1 Peter 2:12)
Meditation : Prayer : May the God of hope fill me and all of us with the joy and peace that comes from believing, so that we may abound in hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit.........Amen |
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