Where Is The Love?

There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:22-24  NIV

Have you heard this one lately?  “People who go to church are nothing but back-stabbing hypocrites.  They smile to your face and then turn around and talk down about you to their Christian friends”.  They come looking for hope and beauty and find a panel of judges and whisperers.  I hear it more often than I care to recount.  The fact that this statement comes from the mouths of people from all walks of life speaks to the underlying truth in it.  This is not the picture of God that the Bible paints. 

I chose the above verse for this blog because, consciously or unconsciously, we pass judgment on others though we are no better than even the worst of sinners.  Therefore, we are in no place to elevate ourselves in judgment above another.  

Jesus showed a prideful people that love for God was not about the amount of scripture you could memorize or how closely you could follow the Law of Moses.  In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus tells us being faithful begins by loving God above all else, and ends with loving one another as we love ourselves. 

Dear friends, remember that Jesus was humble.  Though he was God incarnate, Jesus chose to serve.  Instead of expecting royal treatment, he lowered himself and washed the feet of his disciples.  He was a friend to the tax collectors, the adulterers, the outcasts.  He did not look at them sideways because of the way they acted or dressed.  He welcomed them with love and grace.  He is our example.  Our attitude toward others should mirror His.  Jesus would tell us plank-eyed saints to be a guiding hand, not a stumbling block.  Do not be a self-righteous judge, but a joyful witness.  I encourage everyone to look at themselves in the mirror, but look at others through the eyes of Jesus.