So - We Are Not Perfect.....Is This A New Thing or an Old Thing?

There are things I will never understand. Never get that one joke, get the real answer to certain questions, or really know if some people who have claimed they love me, really do in fact, love me. I will never know if I have shared love with them enough. If they abused that love or even took it for granted. Who am I, that I should even want to accept petty love or trade one moment of God's amazing grace for an ounce of love that someone can completely misconstrue anyway? Hmm - but this is the whole reason for us being here, is it not? If you are not here to love people through the mistakes and to love even when it seems as it is an inconvenience, then explain this existence further for me. If you look at it that way, Jesus could have spared a lot of His time and blood for some "other" thing rather than saving a world that hardly recognizes Him anyway.

Though there are those who point the finger, "BLASPHEMY!!" - "LIAR!" - "CHEAT!" - "DECEIVER!!" I say yes to all of those. If I have done these things, it has been done to the only one who has loved me from the beginning and will always love me until the end of time, no matter what I do. It's funny how, the creator of life will never judge you as harsh as most people do today. How selfish to brand a person with a scarlet letter and feel ok about hiding your own. I could pull out the John 8:7 verse,"let he without sin be among the first to cast a stone". I would be no better to point out scripture to an unknown lover of Christ, than to spit in their face when they close their eyes.

What do we do then?? Good question right? I have been dealing with these questions for a while now and have come to a conclusion. First, let's list all sins that one can think of and set bible verses next to them, so we can read further into this if you would like. I like to have the facts as do most people. It's a sense of relief when you see someone providing substantial information. Here is a list of just some of what only one Christian is capable of in a lifetime in alphabetical order of course(skim or read through each):

Abuse 2 Tim.3:2, Adultery 1 Cor.6:10, Anger Eph.4:26, Arrogance Rom.1:30, Bad temper Mark 14:71, Bad thoughts Mark 7:21,
Bitterness Eph.4:31, Blasphemy 2 Tim.3:2, Boasting James 4:16, Brawling Eph.4:31, Brutality 2 Tim.3:3, Cheating Mark 7:22, Conceit 2 Tim.3:3, Cowardice Acts 13:13, Criticism Rom.14:13, Cursing Eph.4:29, Debauchery Gal.5:19, Despondency Num.21:4, Disobedience Rom.1:30, Divination 2 Kings 1:16, Doubt Matt.14:31, Drunkenness Gal.5:21, Egotism 2 Tim.3:2,
Enmity Gal.5:19-21, Evil desires Col.3:5, Factions Gal 5:19-21, Falseness Prov.16:30, Fear Rev.21:8, Foolishness Mark 7:22
Fornication Mark 7:21; Rev.21:8, Gambling Tit.1:73, God-haters Roman.1:30, Gossip Roman.1:30, Covetousness James 4:2; Col.3:5, Greed 2 Tim.3:2, Heartlessness Rom.1:31, Hate 1 John 3:15, Homosexuality 1 Cor.6:9, Idolatry Gal.5:19, Ignorance Isa.5:13, Impatience Num.21:4, Jealousy 1 Cor.3:3, Judging others Rom.14:13, Laziness 2 Tim.2:15; 1 Cor.9:27,
Licentiousness Mark 7:22, Lovelessness Rom.1:31, Lying Rev.21:8; col.3:9, Malice Eph.4:31, Mockery (to mock) Ps.1:1
Murder Rev:21:8, Murmuring Ex.16:2, Overeating Prov.23:20, Popularity (desire for) 2 Tim.4:10, Prayerlessness Mark 14:37-38
Prejudice Rom.14:13, Pride Luke 1:51, Quarrelsomeness Tit.1:7, Quick-tempered Tit.1:7, Rebellion 1 Sam.15:23
Recklessness 2 Tim.3:4, Resisting the Holy Spirit Acts 7:51, Sabbath-braking Isa.58:13, Selfishness James 3:16
Self-righteousness Phil.3:9, Self-will Luke 22:23; Tit.1:7; 1 Sam.15:23, Sexual immorality Gal.5:19-21, Sinful passions Gal.5:24, Slander 1 Pet.2:1, Sorcery Rev.21:8, Spitefulness Rom 1:29, Stealing Eph.4:28, Strife Rom.1:29, Swearing Gen.25:33
Swindling Gen.25:31-33, Trampling upon Jesus' Blood Heb.10:29, Traitorous 2 Tim.3:4, Unbelief Rev.1:29, Uncleanness Gal.5:19, Unfaithfulness Rom.1:314, Unforgiveness Matt.18:35, Ungratefulness 2 Tim.3:2; Luke 17:17-18, Unholiness 2 Tim.3:2, Unrighteousness Rom.1:29, Unwholesome talk Eph.4:29, Vengeance Rom.12:19, Violence Rom.1:30, Witchcraft Gal.5:19-21, Worldly ambition 2 Sam.15:1-4, Worldliness James 4:4, Worldly pleasures 2 Tim.3:4.

If you have not, will not, and can guarantee you have stayed away from any of what is listed above - I will not only allow you to punch me in my face, but I will give you my car too.

Could you imagine there being more than what is listed above?? There's plenty more that we as human beings do. So, when people can take your life and critique every action, reaction or word. It doesn't matter if you're deaf, mute, blind or even all three, to someone who knows not the love of Christ, they will never receive love from anyone in a manner that is acceptable. Unless, they understand how very much they, themselves have been and still remain loved that God would belittle Himself and give us His Holy Son. So we can not only do all of these things and so much more, but still see the hand of that same God stretch down to pick us back up again. Just to let us know that it's ok. That it doesn't matter anymore. Once we've truly said sorry to God for anything we have done and really mean it, He forgets it!! Wipes it out as if it were never there to begin with.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9)
They (our sins) are removed completely, as far as the East from the West. "As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us"(Ps.103:12). God casts them where He cannot see them. "You have put all my sins behind Your back" (Isa.38:17).

In the same sense we are to be lights, reflections of Christ. A walking testimony to those who do not know this love and to some, we will be the only bible people will ever read. This is when things get tricky. So then, what do we do about this?

1. We love 2. We pray 3. We stay consistently in His Word 4. We strive to love as Christ loved.

We will never love as perfect, never speak as gentle, never shine as bright as Christ. The cool thing about it though - the only thing we have to do is try. Without even perfecting it, we just have to keep giving it our best shot. God knows and that's the only thing that matters...no other explanation needed. How awesome is that?!

Praise God for such an unselfish love!!