Skip to main content

“It’s not our job to determine if the faith of others is genuine or fake.”

A thought by Larry Osborne (2015-04-01) from his book, Thriving in Babylon: Why Hope,Humility, and Wisdom Matter in a Godless Culture (Kindle Locations 544-545). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition.. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

I have just finished a book and now I am looking for a new one.  I have just bought three new books and have been getting through the beginning of all of them to see which one I will find challenging and enlightening to not only me but to you.

Now this thought stopped me.  I fight within me to be critical of the Christian world and its tendency toward fighting battles that I don’t perceive as God’s battles.  In other words I fight being judgmental of others.  But as Larry says, “It’s not our job to determine if the faith of others is genuine or fake.”  He goes on to say, “We’re not supposed to take it upon ourselves to weed out the genuine from the counterfeit. That’s God’s job. Jesus made it clear that we are to leave the weeding to him.”

Now why do we (I) do that?   Another book I have picked up is by Scott Sauls called, Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides.  He said, “The commitment to feeling 1) right and 2) wronged is a fairly common phenomenon.”  I am right and you are wrong.  This attitude of judgement is kind of an elitist attitude isn’t it?  But that is not our task is it?  That is not the love for God or for others that is the love for our self and our opinions.    

Scott goes on to say, “Christians have a compelling reason to be remarkably gracious, inviting, and endearing toward others, including and especially those who disagree with us. Are we known by what we are for instead of what we are against? Are we less concerned about defending our rights  — for Jesus laid down his rights  — and more concerned about joining Jesus in his mission of loving people, places, and things to life? When the grace of Jesus sinks in, we will be among the least offended and most loving people in the world.”

Oh by the way, the other book I picked up is about love. 

So how is the grace of Jesus doing in you?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

“God does big things with small deeds.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2011-05-02) from his book, Cure for the Common Life (p. 115). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know how you feel about what you are doing and how it can make a difference.   You may feel that it is so small and not even worth the effort. Max says, “Begin. Just begin! What seems small to you might be huge to someone else. Just ask Bohn Fawkes. During World War II, he piloted a B-17. On one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the plane. “On the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune. The crew chief explained that not just one but eleven shells had been found in the gas tanks, none of which had exploded. “Technicians opened the missiles and found them void of explosive cha...
Post a Comment
Read more

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...
Post a Comment
Read more