This morning, as I awoke, I felt a stirring in my heart. I understood right away, that the Lord had been speaking to me in my sleep. I knew exactly what He was reminding me of, and it didn't leave me with the most settled feeling. It felt more like He was showing me things that maybe, I didn't want to see and telling me things that, maybe, I didn't want to hear. I knew that it was an exhortation and admonition from the Lord.
I focus a lot of my writing on the grace and tender mercies of God. I do this because people tend to be so hard on themselves and on others. The Lord wants us to see ourselves and others as He sees us. He created us to be works in progress, ever growing and evolving in Him. He knows we've not reached perfection, yet He loves us through all our mess. That's why I write about His grace.
But God is not grace alone. There are 2 sides to God. He is grace
and He is law. As Christians, we are to look to the Scriptures to get an understanding of how He wants us to live and to know what is sin and what is not. God's law is not to prevent us from enjoying life, but to keep us safe, keep us holy and help us remain pure and in fellowship with Him. Adherence to the Word of God does not put us in prison, contrary to what you might think. It actually sets us free...free from conforming to the world's views of how we should act, think and live.
Our society would have us believe that we are to be tolerant and accepting of anything, "as long as no one gets hurt." Christians are shamed and scoffed for calling sin, "sin". While we are being chastised for being intolerant, we are one of the least tolerated groups that I am aware of. But the Bible is clear on sin. We can't say, "I am a Christian, but I'm only going to believe the Scriptures that make me feel good and I'm not going to espouse the Scriptures that make me or others feel uncomfortable."
Matthew 18:15-17 is very specific on how to deal with sin. 15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector." This Scripture addresses one Christian dealing with another Christian who has sinned against them. It not only shows that we are to address sin, but that we are not to be doormats when someone is sinning against us. It shows us how we can address the sin, without attacking the person. And just remember, if we adhere to this way of handling sin, we just might be the one who others have to confront. There will be times when someone has to come to us and let us know that we have sinned against them!
Now, having said all that, remember...I'm a grace person. I write about grace and mercy almost every time I sit down to write. So don't jump on me here and say that I'm being judgmental. These are the things that the Lord was speaking to my heart as I slept last night. He wanted me to remind my readers of the "law" side of Him.
We are not to label people, we are to label sin! I recently read a post by
Cathy Morton, in which she asked "Do you label others before you know their truth?" This statement resonated with me, because it's exactly how I try to live my life. I fail miserably at times, judging and labeling a person without trying to understand what their story is or where they are coming from. But I can say that I am learning more and more, everyday, to see people and love them, as the Lord sees and loves them.
Don't ever forget about God's grace and mercy towards you! But don't forget about His law either. Walk out each day, spending time with Him, getting to know how He would have you live. Be quick to repent when you know you have sinned and receive forgiveness and cleansing! Be sure to extend that forgiveness towards those who have hurt you, as well.
From His Lap,
