08/23/2019
Do we judge others, and not allow them to approach us because we feel more holy than they are? Are we intolerant and use our faith as a tool of pride and arrogance against those who are yet to find the Lord, who haven’t been introduced to the gospel, or begun to understand it? If this describes who we are then we should beware because we are not as holy as we think, and like kindling that is stacked by the fire, we are destined to be burned.
“I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices;
who say, "Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you." These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all the day.”
Isaiah 65:2, 5 ESV
Some who call themselves children of God pervert faith, righteousness, and holiness; they use God’s Word to hold people at arm's distance, And to close the door on those who they should be helping, welcoming, and teaching about Jesus Christ. In as much as they are justifying their actions as good, they are bad, and evil rules their actions, and their heart.
“"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”
Matthew 7:1-2 ESV
We are not meant to judge, but are called to serve God, spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, and advance the kingdom. When we exclude those that we are meant to offer an olive branch to, or we refuse to plant the seed of redemption in someone because they are a sinner... then who are we? Our commission isn’t to go into the world and gather the saints to Jesus... it is to go into the world where we are to baptize, teach, and bring sinners to faith, as Jesus did... how do we do this when we push them away with a stick made from our own false piety?
“And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."”
Matthew 28:18-20 ESV
I am not the boy who confessed Jesus as his savior those many years ago, and I am not the man of faith that I was even five, or ten years ago. My faith grows, and I reach out more with each passing day; where I once saw a person’s sin I now see my own past transgressions, and beyond that the person they hope to be. We are not a rock that is struck by the staff of Moses, and suddenly springs forth holiness...we are the clay on the Potter’s wheel where we are slowly transformed into holiness by His hand, and strengthened by His fire for God’s good use. All of those things we find distasteful in others are the same as what was once repulsive in us, but as we are transformed they are not only changed, but never remembered again.
“"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.”
Isaiah 65:17 ESV
Do we see ourselves a new creation, but forget the molding hand of God that made us into the vessels we are today? Do we forget the oven that fired us, and that gave us the strength which allows us to be used by God? Do we treat others with arrogance and conceit by denying them the benefit of our newly created purpose, and by withholding from them the very transformation that God used to make us who we are? Are we allowing the taste of our rancid world to ruin what the Potter has made? Is our judgement of others beginning to taint us... causing all the holiness that is stored in us to take on its foul flavor? Are we no longer of use, and fit only to be broken?
“And an earthenware vessel that the one with the discharge touches shall be broken, and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.”
Leviticus 15:12 ESV
So, do we wear our faith and holiness as a badge of honor, allowing it to make us unapproachable, or do we use it as the tool of a servant? Do we push away those who need what is stored within us, and deny our true commission through our conceit? Well maybe it’s time we took a good look at the condition of our container, by looking in the mirror, and giving it the sniff test... are we beginning to lose the sweet aroma of holy incense, and beginning to smell like a foul discharge?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for transforming us, and making us more in your image each day. Thank you Holy Father for using us as teachers, and farmers, who teach the good news of the Jesus Christ to sinners, and who sow the seeds of redemption that will change barren ground into lush gardens... full of fruit, and herbs. Help us Merciful Father to resist Satan as he whispers in our ear “You are too holy to associate with them” when we are meant to reach out to those who are enslaved to him, and break their chains. Open our eyes Lord so that we see that you have set us apart to be of service to you, and not just trophies to be placed on a shelf in remembrance of past glory. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you who sends us out into the world with a new purpose... a new mission, which is to bring in the harvest of new fields. Great are you who sent your Son to teach us of humility, and not arrogance. Praised be your name as we dine with sinners, and begin the transformative process that you will complete in them. All glory is yours Gracious Father, because no one can change hearts but you, and none can extend grace to the lost except you. You are Holy, and when we reflect your holiness it is not ours, but yours alone, and it is yours to judge, and ours but to seek your will.
“"I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.”
John 5:30-31 ESV
Rich Forbes