wrong impressions
June 19, 2009
READ: John 3:16-18
God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to
save the world
through Him (v.17).
Recently, a pastor led a young man to faith in Jesus. At one point in their conversation, the young man had hesitantly asked the pastor, “Now that I’m a Christian, do I have to walk around judging everyone?” The pastor, saddened by the question, was able to say, “Of course not. That’s the opposite of how a follower of Christ should treat people.”
The young man explained that many of the Christians he had run across appeared to be judgmental. They acted as if they were above sin and looked down their “holier-than-thou” noses at people. Their self-superiority left a bad impression, especially when they were not as perfect as they appeared to be.
If there was ever anyone who had the right to act superior, it was Jesus. He is the only human to live without sinning (Hebrews 4:15). But as you read through the Gospels, you will find that He didn’t shun and condemn those who lived in obvious sin. He didn’t expect crooked tax collectors or prostitutes to immediately shed their immorality before He had anything to do with them. Instead, He was a friend to sinners and met them where they were in relation to God (Luke 5:30-32, 7:34-50).
As believers in Jesus, we should come across to our unbelieving neighbors, co-workers, and family members as people who genuinely care about others. This doesn’t mean we should give the wrong impression that we’re not concerned about sin. Jesus certainly didn’t (John 5:14, 8:11). Still, throughout His earthly ministry, He modeled that we can have friendships with “sinners” without compromising our concerns and moral convictions.
Lord, help us to show others Your love and Your ways that lead to life. Help us not to condemn those who have strayed and those who don’t yet know You—and are living a lifestyle that leads to death (Romans 8:6). —Jeff Olson
How did Jesus treat sinners? How will you care for and reach out to those who are dealing with sin issues?
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Loading ...the tempted brothers
June 19, 2009
READ: Genesis 39:1-12
How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? —Genesis 39:9
Two brothers—both far from home —faced similar temptations. One, working away from the family, fell to the schemes of a younger woman. His sin led to embarrassment and family turmoil. The other, separated from loved ones because of family turmoil, resisted the advances of an older woman. His faithfulness led to rescue and renewal for the family.
Who are these brothers? Judah, who fell to the desperate scheme of his neglected daughter-in-law Tamar (Gen. 38). And Joseph, who ran from the arms of Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39). One chapter, an ugly story of irresponsibility and deception; the other, a beautiful chapter of faithfulness.
The stories of Judah and Joseph, presented back-to-back in the midst of “the history of Jacob” (37:2), show us that temptation itself is not the problem. Everybody faces temptation, even Jesus did (Matt. 4:1-11). But how do we face temptation? Do we demonstrate that faith in God can shield us from giving in to sin?
Joseph gave us one way of escape: Recognize sin as an affront to God and run from it. Jesus gave another: Answer temptation with truth from God’s Word.
Facing temptation? See it as an opportunity to make God and His Word real in your life. Then run! — Dave Branon
We fall into temptation when we don’t stand against it.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Forgiveness (3)
By MeL Scribe, Australia
Short Story: Forgiveness
“Please, let me go,” he pleaded. I looked down at him in his miserable state.
“I don’t belong in that gang, I don’t belong in any gang anymore. Please,” he continued.
“But it doesn’t change what happened, does it? You were the one who killed my girlfriend!” I screamed at him, giving vent to my hatred. “You have no idea how much I love her.”
Suddenly his face hardened. “It doesn’t change the fact that your girlfriend was the one who killed my brother,” he spat, dignified.
“That was an accident. She would never kill anyone!”
“Accident or no accident, my brother is dead!”
“A life for a life,” I agreed bitterly. “My girlfriend for your brother. Now we are even.”
“ ‘The past can hurt, but you can either run from it, or learn from it,’ someone said to me once,” he repeated, as though quoting a person he highly respects.
“So you have been running from your past, while I have been running to find you,” I growled.
Why wouldn’t my arm move to slice his throat? My other hand was wrapped around his neck; his back pushed against the wall. His feet were still on the ground, but he was entirely at my mercy.
“And now that you have found me, you are afraid,” he mocked.
“You forget who holds the knife,” I muttered. “And whose life is at stake, you fool?”
“I’m sick of pleading for forgiveness.”
“How quickly we sink back into our old ways!” I paused, my mind suddenly remembering something my girlfriend had said to me:
“I know you have your friends in this gang, but it’s not good for you.
It’s your decision in the end, and I’ll love you whatever you choose.
However, I think it best if you leave them. These are my best interests for you,”
she had said quietly.
She had made it sound so simple. How would she have any idea what it would mean if I gave up the gang? She couldn’t understand that if I leave them, I would have nowhere to go, nothing to do, no way to survive.
She and all her Christian values. She had come from the ideal background–a loving family, good education, hope for a future, money to spend, never a worry about where her next meal came from. She had everything, including a perfection I could never achieve.
“I only hope that if you choose to leave the gang, you won’t fall back into your old ways,
whatever the future may bring,” she whispered, as though assured of something I didn’t know.
“You’re worth more than this, I know it. You’re worth more than a cycle of revenge and hatred.”
It was her angelic face that flashed in my mind now, soft and meek. How could I bear it if her death was never avenged? But then, what would she think if I kill for her sake? I shook my head in confusion, my thoughts a blur.
I straightened my arm above my victim, my grip on the knife tightening. I swung the blade in a crescent and dropped it on the pavement.
His face was astonished, his body unmarked.
“This is no accident,” I declared. “But it’s what she would have wanted. She would have wanted me to forgive you. Now turn from your evil ways,” I heard my voice saying, but the words I spoke were not my own thoughts.
I picked up my knife then released him. Slowly I turned away from him, but he called my name before I took another step. “You spared my life. I shall spare yours, friend.” He held out his hand, and I shook it. “I know a place that you can board and work. Want to come?”
“Where? With the Salvation Army?” I asked, sarcastically.
“It’s not so bad,” he said to me.
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Tip: Repeat or not (2)
By Isaac Tan, Singapore
IRRITATING is the only word capable of fully establishing the abusive use of repetition.
In part one of To Repeat or Not To Repeat, we ended off with a really irritating passage. It wasn’t just irritating, it was really really irritating. Now, doesn’t that irritate you too?
“Bad” repetition happens especially with “crutch” words. These “crutch” words are defined as words that we use so often we don’t realize. They are usually not the most outstanding of words. That is why they slip past the editing stage more often than not. For example, some writers like to pepper their writing with many examples, but have trouble finding verbiage to use other than, “For example,” to start an illustration.
Poor use of repetition questions the writer’s vocabulary. To see the words being used again and again without effort to use an alternative is just pure ignorance to your work.
The wrong use of repetition also results in readers not having a very clear picture about what the writer is getting at. When I used “immediacy/immediately/immediate” in my previous post, it did not give readers a good understanding of exactly how fast things went. This resulted in poor communication from me to you.
How than do we eradicate this issue?
1) Read your work aloud. It forces you to go through everything you have written verbally so that you can better notice the repeated words.
2) Get a thesaurus. If you feel you’re using a word too often, refer to the thesaurus to get relevant substitutes.
Endnote:
Repetition has its purposes and beauty. God, our Creator, used reiteration to teach us aptly. However when misapplied, it is just plain annoying.
Challenge:
Write a short reply of between 25 – 50 words and challenge yourself not to use any word more than 3 times.
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