My wife and I were talking about sin last night. How we are quick judge the sin we see (probably more likely, the sinner we see) but not the sins we don’t see.
My friend Redge often asks how would we treat people if their “sins” were written on a little chalk board hanging around their neck for all to see? And if you were wondering about a world like that… it is not about the persons around us… It is all about us, because the bible tells us that before we loved God, He loved us… as we were, “vrot met die sonde” rotten with sin and dirty with our deeds.
“But Christ proved God’s passionate love for us by dying in our place while we were still lost and ungodly!”
(Romans 5:8 TPT)
Isn’t that amazing?
John quotes Jesus:
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”
(John 15:16 NIV)
How is that?!
”I Chose You!” – Jesus’ words! I chose you… why?
To bear good fruit… fruit that will last!
Yes, but Jesus, erm… I am a drunk? Yup… old you, nevermind that. But I was a prostitute. True true… doesn’t matter, we are doing fruit now… I gambled, I beat my wife, I, I, I…
Yes… makes for a great backstory one day, real “main-character energy” 😉 but now… we are doing Good Fruit!
”And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and *by the word of their testimony;* and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
(Revelations 12:11 ESV)
Which means… when the time is right, you will use your past as your testimony to the person that has lost hope.
I was this, but then, Jesus who died for me, did that… Now I am free!
But you know what. Our God is not a set of rules on the walls of a temple. And we can see that in the practicality of the apostles. James says to be happy when trials come…
”Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.”
(James 1:2 NLT)
And Peter says to _Rejoice when trouble comes…_ but then also. Make sure the trouble comes because you are doing good and not doing evil.
”If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.”
(1 Peter 4:15 NIV)
(Have you noticed that Peter puts murderers and thieves on the same level as someone simply interfering in someone else’s life?)
But some days, the trouble comes, through absolutely no fault of your own. Where the skies are dark and your legs feel like lead, and no more tears can come out of your eyes because there are just no more… King David says in those days, those moments… just keep walking. Don’t stop. God is not just there, He is THERE! Surrounding You! Keep walking … Whether you feel Him or not, David says keep walking and fear no evil. Even if it is the darkest valley, keep walking for God is with you. Even if every step feels like your last, take one more. God will comfort you.
There is a famous story about a navy SEAL instructor that used to say to his recruits: “You can quit, I know it’s hard, you can quit. But don’t quit today… quit tomorrow.”
Sounds a lot like King Davd
