I can remember asking our star pupil in our youth group one evening if she would go over and help make one of our new girls feel at home, welcome her into the group.
She answered, “I couldn’t do that. I hate her guts. If I went over there, I would claw her eyes out.”
Alrighty then as I tried to bring my jaw up from the floor.
And another “fond” memory: We were showing some slides along with our music for a service, and we were moving people to one side of the church. I asked a lady if she would mind moving over to the other side. Her response was that “No, because such and such person sat over there and she couldn’t stand to be around her.”
I remember another incident before I was a pastor. Apparently our new pastor’s wife did not handle the purchase or distribution of a ham the right way. One of our lady choir members ripped her up one side and then down the other between services, then joined the choir as we sang “Let Us Love One Another.”
We have the teachings – love God/love neighbor as self/owe nothing but love/ show we are God’s by our love for one another – but only in separated abstract categories of our minds.
The truth we have is not true in our hearts.
Say that again, Amos. Ok, if you insist. The truth a religious person has is not true in his heart.
When we qualify and reduce these truths, when we form personal, custom-fit parameters, do we realize what we are doing?
I don’t think so.
But intentional or not when we reduce these truths to fit our lives, we live in the realm of men, not God.
We don’t walk where God walks. So don’t expect to find and see God if you don’t walk where he walks.
Do you get it, dude! Simple truth lived out brings the reality of God’s universe before us.
(Ephesians 4:32 ESV) Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
How do we justify having so many unkind, hardhearted, unforgiving people in the Church?
Is anyone else tired of our version of “my bad”? “Well, no one is perfect.” Agreed. But how about we quit using it as an excuse to disobey God and his words?
We don’t need the miraculous to stand and walk in the presence of God.
We just need to follow him, go where God goes, live his words, see through his eyes. We need to live our lives following the pattern that Christ gave us while on this Earth.
And. . .we need to quit editing God’s words to fit the rebellious pattern of our lives.
God says forgive. We forgive. God says owe only love. We owe only love.
Reduce God’s truth to manageable size; don’t expect to see the glory of God filling the earth.
