There seems to be two types of audits that people make of our life it’s the constructive critics, but then there are those who are destructive. If you are talking about someone who is a sincere friend their correction is to help you not put you down. (Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy. Proverbs 27:6)
If you make a mistake on your taxes you may have the IRS come back and do an audit. The dissolution of Arthur Andersen, was one of the five largest audit and accountancy partnerships in the world. New York's attorney accused accounting giant Ernst & Young of helping Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. disguise its financial condition. It seems the auditors need auditors of their own company. Some people think their calling is to be an auditor of other people’s life. I’ve had people who have found fault with me for various things, when they are guilty of the same flaw at some point in their life. Why don’t people take their own advice? (You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Romans 2:1).
We are called to be fruit inspectors only. (By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Matthew 7:16). Jesus and Paul had to deal with the religious leaders of their day that were always critical of what they did. Jesus picked corn or healed on the Sabbath. The Pharisees did not understand that Jesus was love and came to fulfill the law, but they saw him as a person who was taking away their religious traditions and the law. So as Christians, we are going to have to deal with persecution. Maybe people perceive we are trying to take away something from them? These are going to be attacks on our personal character or on serving the Lord. (In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 2 Timothy 3:12) If you desire to live a godly life, you are going to suffer persecution. Right after Jim Bakker of The PTL Club got in a sexual scandal, so did a person who was his top critic Jimmy Swaggart. There are many scriptures that talk about how we are to examine ourselves as Christians, not others. One when we take communion we are to examine ourselves (1Cor. 11:27-29). We are not to go around and examine other people’s lives like a tax auditor, we are to examine our own lives (Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; 2 Cor. 13:5)
When they tried to stone the woman caught in adultery, it’s my understanding that Jesus said “he that is without this particular sin of adultery cast the first stone.” Everyone walked away and there are speculations that Jesus wrote the names of the women in the sand that those men committed adultery with, but they were accusing the woman for adultery when they had done the same sin. Why did the men only drag the woman and not the man who committed adultery with her? Jesus was sent into the world to save the world not condemn the world. Jesus told the woman, (“Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." John 8:11) His spirit gives us the “want to” and desire to live a Christian life.” There is a reason Jesus said, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” One of the things the Lord dealt with me is my prideful attitude about my good works as a Christian. With a divorce it purged me of that self-righteous spirit. I live under a better covenant which is the New Testament of Jesus blood and that New Testament is love. Everything else will fail in life, but God loves endure and so does his grace to keep me in his love.
Part of walking in love is a true friend loveth at all times (Proverbs 17:7), believes the best (1 Cor. 13:7), keeps no records of wrongs (burns the accounting ledger) and does not seek her own will (1Cor 13:5), love works no ill will towards his neighbor/others (Romans 13:10. Over and over Jesus warned about judging other people. (Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. 1 Cor. 4:5). It helps me to focus on a person's good points. I think it is nice to go around the room with a group of people and think of one positive trait of a person and not focus on their faults and weakness. (1 Peter 4:8). One of my favorite scriptures is (Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Galatians 6:1). It talks about we can be tempted too. Maybe some people think they are above temptation? Live and Let Live is working on our own issues.
Good Samaritan Christians or traffic cop Christians? I don’t want to be a Christian like my Homeowner’s Association who rather than helping someone when a tree falls down in their yard or a shingle comes off their roof during a storm, they write you a letter threatening that you are not in compliance. The traffic cop Christians are the ones that are quick to judge. The good Samaritan Christians are the ones that will get down in the pit with you, clean your wounds, cover the man’s nakedness (he was stripped) as far as what it takes to get you out of that pit, then put you in their car (on their donkey) and make sure you are cared for as far as nursed back to health after being beat up by life (Luke 10:25-37.) Several people passed by that man in the ditch that was beaten and I’ve had people tell me, “Don’t give that person my phone number, they are too needy.”
Many times people do a number of things that offend me or disappoint me and I try to understand why they do what they do. When men do things that disappoint me it’s usually been their low self-esteem. Either taking their problems from their work out on me, or in the case of single men, their moments of insanity that I could tell they were trying to build up a deflated ego. At these times, I find its best I pray for them and love them, not rip them apart. Traffic cop Christians go around and say, “You are not in compliance.”
There are many traffic cop Christians in the church today. Sometimes God has asked me to give a person a message to get bitterness out of their life, but I knew it was God, because I did not want to do tell them. I knew it would make everyone upset with me and that is exactly what happened. You will know when God wants you to correct a situation for the betterment of a person, because you will not want to correct them. Roots of bitterness can cause sickness in people’s life, like my father suffered from ulcers of the stomach from stress and worry (See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:15). I was recently talking to someone about something his ex-wife said and the way he talked about it, it was so real it was like it happened yesterday. I know that hurt is still there. When I thanked God for my current sucky life, God told me to put on the robe he has given me which is the best robe the father gave the prodigal son (But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet Luke 15:22). There are several scriptures that talk about “putting off the old man.” Part of putting off the old man is putting off bitterness and unforgiveness. (But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Colossians 3:8.) My mother had this old nasty looking terry cloth robe, because it was comfortable. As Christians we can be running around in old house robes because it's comfortable when God gave us a brand new robe. (You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24.)
No comments:
Post a Comment