Person 1: I lied
Person2: I stole
Person 3: I killed
Person 4: I cursed God
Come on now, tell the truth--as you were reading them, in your mind you were forming a little list of better to worse; of the strictest penalty to the most lenient;
Of what was good or not good.
The world is a funny place. I don't mean that in a 'ha ha" funny either.
Are you a sinner? I am. I don't ask that to make you feel self conscious..............well, yeah, in a way I do.
This whole weekend as we went through Good Friday and Easter, I churned over the idea of good. No one is good. Jesus knew that. That was the reason he had to do what he did. He died for our sins to be forgiven. He died because the only one whom is good, God, wanted to save us.
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good -- except God alone." Mark 10:18
I sometimes think that the world is made up of us and them. There is the good people and the .......well.......
As Christians, are we any better? Of course not.
We are the us. We are the them.
The entire life of Jesus tells us of all of the great things he did for people when he was on this Earth. Tax collectors, prostitutes, all of the people their own society deemed not "good." He came to bring us all his light, knowing we were sinners.
"On hearing this, Jesus said to them, " It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2:17
BUT WAIT! you say............what about the law, what about the commandments we were given by God? Are we not obligated to obey those?
Maybe, but how do you obey them? do you obey them out of a fear of the retribution of God? Do you obey them because you fear hell? Or do you obey them because you are grateful for Christ Jesus dying for our sins, and it is out of gratitude we "love our neighbor as our self?"
This is where I aim for self consciousness, I guess. Not to beat down yourself for mistakes you have made. That is not God. That is Satan telling you how worthless you are. That is the Devil coaxing you into that well of self-pity. That is evil encouraging you to wallow in self despair. The laws are there for us to:
remember we are sinners.
"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin." Romans 3:20
remember we are ALL sinners
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23
It baffles me how so many people stress the law and yet see nothing wrong with the way they judge those not in keeping with it. Especially, considering that not one person on Earth is without sin. Not one person is beyond reproach.
Jesus even gives us the standards we are to impose on others:
"Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1-2
wow.........
I stand in awe of Jesus always. This Easter weekend has made it paramount in my mind though. I am grateful for what He has done for me. I am honored that he would love me so much to think that I was worth saving. I am glad that even a common thief hanging on a cross, someone not "good" was forgiven for his sins, as we all are, by believing in Jesus Christ.
Would it matter if I told you person 1 lied to save some one's life?
Would it matter if I told you person 2 stole to eat to save his child's life?
Would it matter if I told you person 3 killed as an infantry man at war?
Would it matter if I told you person 4 cursed God, not out loud, but inside, in a moment of weakness over the death of a spouse?
Why?
I am person 1 You are person 1
I am person 2 You are person 2
I am person 3 You are person 3
I am person 4 You are person 4
I am not good You are not good
Will you judge me?
