My favorite time of day is right before the sun rises and
all that you can see is a glow across the horizon. I get a thrill when I can be
up before the sun beats me to it. At this hour, the city still seems to be asleep and all
movement appears to quietly move along, waiting for the sun’s “ok” to begin the
noise for the day. Cars zoom by but not a honk is heard, and birds wait to sing
their morning songs. I got ready for church earlier than usual this morning and
had time to sneak outside and wait for the sun to appear. So beautiful! I was reminded of Hillsong’s song, “You’ll Come” which brought to
memory God’s promise in Hosea 6:3,
“…As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”
Thank you, Lord, for a tangible reminder of this verse in a
sunrise.
This
wasn’t the only teaching that I had to be reminded of today. My Pastor continued his series, When in Rome, today with a message titled “The Fatal Flaws of Religion.” The
Scripture portion came from Romans 2:1-11. Be ready to have a reality check
when you read it. Paul’s words remind me that I cannot judge others and
expect God to show favoritism towards me in all of my wrong doings. In these
verses, Paul exposes our “self-righteous hypocrisy” (word my pastor used) and
boldy tells me that I am just as bad as those that I condemn. My pastor made
the point to remind me and the congregation that regardless of the type of sin,
I am a sinner saved by God’s grace. Sure, the people that I so easily judge and condemn may
engage in a different type of sin, but I still sin too and am subject to God’s
judgment also.
Pastor Dave
reminded me…
-
As I freely decide to judge others, I am exposed
to God’s freedom to judge me too. (vs. 3) Ouch!
-
Most of the time what I criticize and point out
in others is a reflection of the same sin I commit.
-
Use myself as an example if I want to expose and
talk about sins before I bring someone else’s name into it. (He shared a few of
his own examples and I appreciated that transparency!)
-
I cannot rename the sins that I commit when they are the
same as another’s. Example, “He/She lies and cheats, but I just exaggerate sometimes.”
-
God’s kindness is meant to lead me to repentance
(vs. 4) yet I want to hurry up and help God make His decision on how to punish others
but want Him to take his time on me when I’ve made a mistake.
-
Why do I feel the need to express why others
got what they did as a consequence of sin? Example: that girl/guy deserved
those STD’s and heartache for how much they slept and meddled around with
others… *Man, I could cry thinking of the times I’ve made the same or similar
accusations.*
With each
convicting reminder, I thanked God for having mercy on me to not strike me dead
or expose me for all the times I’ve gossiped, been jealous of another girl, or
disrespected my husband or someone in authority. My list of sins is much longer
and sometimes I can also be self-righteous in thinking that compared to others,
my mistakes are just “not that bad.” Forgive
me, Lord.
You
and I are not responsible for the judgment of other’s sins. God will take care
of it. (Romans 12:19) It’s so hard sometimes for me to sit back and not worry
about what I think other people should get for their sins, but when I think
about all that I deserve and the mercy that has spared me from it, I
thank God that he too gives grace and mercy to all.
We
all have a choice, like my pastor shared, and we all have to live with the
consequence of our choices. Should we choose to judge, we will also face the
consequence of that decision one day. (Romans 2:6) If we think about God exposing
all of our sins in public, it’s a serious reminder that we are not that
different from what we consider “the worst of sinners.” Let’s stop playing the
games, and grow more in the power of love, grace, and mercy. I have to pray
frequently for God to help me release the control that I want to hold on to for
judgment I think that specific people deserve. Have I been hurt terribly because of sin in the last
few years? Yes, more than you can imagine. But, have I hurt those same people and
others too in the same way? No doubt. I pray that God will continually convict me and help
me to replace thoughts of vengeance with His Word and Truth. So, what fatal flaw of religion does this all boil down to? It's the one that makes me think that just because I'm a "church going Christian" that I have to right to take judgment and sentencing of sins into my own hands while acting like I have a hall pass from God to forget my own.
After reading these verses in Romans, write and think about what God is trying to teach you. Have you tried to take judgment into your own hands? How's that worked out for you? Do you need to change your way of thinking and ask someone for forgiveness this week?
What
we worshipped to today:
“Always”-
Kirk Franklin
“To
Deserve”- Jonathan Stockstill
“Here I Am to
Worship”- Matt Redman
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