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2.10.2015

I choose love!

What an amazing God we have!  I am so thankful for Him this week.  It has been so difficult to read and hear all the negativity this week.  Thankfully, my Bible study and daily Bible readings have helped me to know that God is love!

You see I live in Alabama and this week same sex marriage was legalized.   For me this was not a big deal at all.  I was fortunate enough to grow up with some amazing people that taught me to show love to everyone and judge no one.  One of my very best friends growing up happened to be gay.  We ended up going to Murray State and were together all the time.  Out of the blue he started pulling away from me and I couldn't figure out why.  One evening I went to see him and just asked if I had done something.  He sat me down and said I have something really important to tell you and I don't know how you will react.  I said give it to me and he said "I'm gay" and I was like "yeah I think have kinda always known that" and things went back to normal for us.  I begin meeting his new friends and hanging out with them.  I was so happy to see him happy and feeling accepted and complete.

Maybe I am lucky because I had a few close gay people around me growing up and I know that just as much I was into the opposite sex they were into the same sex and our brains were wired that way from the get go.  Because we were so close I could ask questions I wouldn't be able to ask a stranger and that helped me to understand.  You see as a Christian I understand that the Bible says homosexuality is a sin, but having a friend that is gay I was able to understand from his point of view and that helped me tremendously.  My friend explained that for as long as he can remember he was always attracted to guys.  I said but you dated so and so for how many years and he explained because that is what I knew I was supposed to do.  After our many talks things started to click with me.  Flashbacks from middle and high school all seemed to make sense and I gained much understanding.  

I guess you can say I see both sides.  I know where the Bible says its a sin and I accept that.  I also believe that my friend was born the way he is.  He even stated multiple times to me "do you think I want to be this way being hated and misunderstand like this.  It's just how I have always felt so for me it is normal". So how can I say he is wrong or judge him.

For me that is the big thing in all this.  I have no business telling him or anyone they are wrong or judging them no matter what the Bible says is a sin.  The Bible list a lot of sins, it also says all sin is created equal and that the only one who can truly judge us is God.

I think we could all take a lesson from the story in John 8 where the woman who was caught in the act of adultery was about to be stoned.  Jesus steps in and says to the crowd "let he who is without sin cast a stone".  EVERY person dropped their rock and walked away because they all had sinned.  

I think it is time we all drop our rocks and instead work on growing our garden.  As Christians we can be seed planters and seed waters.  We can plant a seed in someone's life or come along and water a seed planted by someone else.  One can't grow a garden if they are constantly judging everything in it.

Matthew 7:12 "Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.  This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets."  I don't want anyone judging me so I try my best to not judge others.  Besides whatever I think doesn't matter anyway because I am not God.

Did you know that the phrase "love one another" is found at least a dozen times in the New Testament.  There is also an emphasis on LOVE in all 27 books of the Bible.  In Romans 12 starting at verse 9 Paul tells us to really love one another.  My study notes say Paul is telling us we need to love those inside and outside the church.  To have a sincere love for all.

1 John 4:8 tells us God is love.  He loved us so much that he sent his only son into the world so that we could have eternal life.  Jesus lived among us and endured an awful death just so that ALL our sins could be forgiven and we could have eternal life.

So yeah the bible does list a bunch sins that we all commit each day, but more and more I see where God is Love.  God is Light.  God is the one true King.  God is the only judge that matters.  So as Christians we need to drop our rocks, plant some seeds and water some gardens.  Leave the judging to God and just leave the hate altogether.

Yeah, I could be wrong, but when I get to Heaven and God questions me I want to say "I choose love and left the judging to you". 

1 comment:

  1. Wonderfully written. I know good many God fearing well meaning Christian folks that need to understand that message.

    As an Eastern Orthodox Christian we are taught we simply cannot in any way know the hearts and minds of our fellow human beings nor can we scratch the surface of knowing the mind of GOD. We fast and pray ... a LOT ... as part of OUR daily Christian life. It is not ours to worry about our neighbor. We must be actively working toward Theosis, judging and drawing conclusions about others is not part of that plan.

    As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the people of Philipi. (Philippians 2:12–13)(ESV)
    12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

    The sense in which we are to work out our salvation in fear and trembling is twofold. First, the Greek verb rendered “work out” means "to continually work to bring something to completion or fruition." We do this by actively pursuing obedience in the process of sanctification, which Paul explains further in the next chapter of Philippians. He describes himself as “straining” and “pressing on” toward the goal of Christlikeness or "Theosis" (Philippians 3:13-14). The “trembling” he experiences is the attitude Christians are to have in pursuing this goal—a healthy fear of offending God through disobedience and an awe and respect for His majesty and holiness. "Trembling" can also refer to a shaking due to weakness, but this is a weakness of higher purpose, one which brings us to a state of dependency on God. Obedience and submission to the God we revere and respect is our “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1-2) and brings great joy. Psalm 2:11 sums it up perfectly: “Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.” We work out our salvation by going to the very source of our salvation—the Word of God—wherein we renew our hearts and minds (Romans 12:1-2), coming into His presence with a spirit of reverence and awe.

    GOD does not need us to judge the faith of another, that is well above our pay grade and he is plenty capable. WE ALL have plenty to worry about with pulling the weeds from our own gardens to be messing around in someone else's. May GOD bless you Kelly.

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