Okay so it has been a really long time since I have blogged...honestly so much has happened in our lives over the past 3 months that has proven God's faithfulness to me and our family. I will try to spend a few posts writing about David's new job and where God has us and our family later this week or next week, but right now I feel like God has placed something else on my heart to share.
It may not change how anyone else behaves or speaks, but these thoughts keep coming to mind and I know that God is using it to change me and the way that I look at people, so I felt compelled to blog about it :)
Over the past few weeks I have heard or read more on Facebook and in the news about homosexuality than ever before...and I have been so upset by it because honestly there have been so many Christians that are doing more harm than good by the things that they are saying and the way that they are acting about homosexuality. First let me say that I agree homosexuality is a sin, just like lying, cheating, adultery, stealing, gossiping, etc. and I am in no way condoning it or saying that we should not address the sin as a church. But as I keep looking through the Bible I keep running across all these stories of Jesus associating with "sinners" or "unclean" people, and I keep wondering what would Jesus do if he encountered a gay man. In John 4, Jesus meets the woman at the well...first of all he talks to her, which was a big no no for a "good" Jewish man. Talking to a woman would have been bad enough, but a Samaritan woman was worse, and because he later tells that he knows of her adultery it would have been even worse. But the first thing he tells her is not "you are abhorrent...look at how sinful you are!" The first thing He offers her is Living Water! He offers Himself, His love, His grace, and the freedom from the sin that she is so entangled in. He then addresses her sin, he doesn't sweep it to the side but calls her to repentance. But I think that because she saw in Him that day how much He loved her and how He was different it changed her life...she wanted to change because He spoke to her in a way that no one else did...he didn't care that she was a woman, or a Samaritan, or a sinner...he took the time to offer her Himself first before he ever judged her for her sin. Then I have thought about the adulterous woman in John 8...here she is obviously caught in sin and thrown at Jesus feet, and He doesn't throw a stone. Instead he sees the hearts of the Pharisees and puts them in their place by saying "He who is without sin can cast the first stone." Then he goes and offers her grace and her life back. He asks her when all the others have left (Jn. 8:10-11) Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' she said, 'No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you: go and from now on sin no more." He definitely still adresses her sin but after she knows His love for her and the life He can give. I keep thinking about how mad the Pharisees were that Jesus kept hanging out with those "sinners" and I can honestly say that I don't think that all of those "sinners" would have invited Jesus to their homes or parties if all he did was rant and rave about how "disgusting" and "perverse" their lives were. When Jesus went to Zacheus's house people were mad because Zacheus was taking their money and being dishonest. But after spending time with Jesus, he repented and changed his ways. Jesus continually tell the Pharisees that He came to "seek and save that which was lost" Lk. 19:10 and that "those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick." Lk 5:31 When people genuinely encounter Jesus they walk away changed...they want to change because of his love and grace in their lives.
I keep thinking of it in terms of marriage...there are things about me that I am sure David would love to change...one being the fact that I lose everything (keys, phone, etc.) on a weekly basis :) Well lately I have been making an effort to be more responsible of that stuff and change that about myself because I love David and I know it aggravates him at times and I desire to be a better wife. I do that because David loves me unconditionally and I want to change for him. If I didn't know David, I wouldn't care about losing my stuff daily and would be making no effort to change that part of my life. (as all of my past roommates can tell you :) Same with Jesus...when you truly know Him and His deep love for you, you want to change and live a more holy life. I don't expect the lost to act as anything but that...lost. I don't expect them to follow God's laws or have any sense of morality...why would they? They don't know Jesus. It is our job as Christians to get to know them, not just knock on their door and say "do you go to church?", but really genuinely get to know them and show them Jesus and His love.
I keep thinking about the people that I have met or know that are homosexuals.... Many suffered abuse as children some physical, some emotional, and some sexual. (Not all, but a good many) You don't go through something that horrible as a child without it having some impact on your life and the way you view the world. Knowing that, I can look at them with compassion because they are "like sheep without a shepherd"....many lost and hurting. My prayer this week has been that I will see all people as Jesus saw them...as people in desperate need of a Savior. I pray that I will see them as His creation and love them as such....that I will treat all people with the same love that Christ showed the woman at the well. I pray that I won't look down on people as the Pharisees did (because at one time in my life I was just as sick and lost as they are!) It is only by the saving grace of Jesus that I am redeemed! I pray that Christians will take the time to offer Jesus first, to offer the Living Water and the stone not cast before they come at people's sin all hellfire and brimstone. My prayer is that the church will not be Pharisees, but will be like Jesus and follow His example of being a Physician for the sick, showing them their only Remedy instead of just focusing on their disease.
No comments:
Post a Comment