Forgiven Much = Loves Much

I closed a post last week with John 3:17, and the thought "We still have a lot of work to do."

As soon as I read it, I was convicted.

 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. John 3:17

We do still have a lot of work to do. Originally, I was thinking "We have a lot of work to do" because I was reminded that there are many who do not know and acknowledge Christ as Lord, but I am also convicted that we have a lot of work to do within the Christian Community.

If anyone could have condemned the "world", it was Jesus Christ, yet He came to save. In Scripture, He did not condemn and criticize the "world" - those who did not know Him, but time and time again He told the Church Leaders how wrong they were. I am almost certain that, if He were to visit us in the flesh again today, His reaction would be much the same.

Rather than be thankful for the opportunity to touch people who do not regularly attend church, we condemn them for only coming on Christmas and Easter. There is even a name given for those who only attend on these holidays...

Creasters

What must Christ think of this arrogance? What must He think of our self proclaimed piety? Does it break His heart? Does it anger Him?

Christ's life begs us to love the unlovable, the lost, the wounded, the broken, and the weak and weary. Christ's death begs us to share the Gospel with ALL who will hear it.
Christ's resurrection assures us that HE is powerful enough to save all.
Even if they choose Easter Sunday to come to church for the first time.

So then, rather than condemn  and criticize those who do not meet our expectation of what Christ wants, we are wise to go back to God's Word and see what Jesus Himself says about all this. I am ashamed that I have ever thought myself better than another simply because I go to church more often than they. God's word reminds me that His ways are not mine, He looks at my heart, not my church attendance, to determine my Spiritual growth.

Christ's life, death, and resurrection demands one thing of us...to love those He places in our path. Whether that person be a long time church member who never misses a service or a first time visitor who chose Easter as a good time to try Church, Jesus tells us to love them. There is no room for judgment and condemnation in the heart of a Christian.

Who am I to think that I am any more worthy of  His grace and mercy than you?

After all, Jesus did not condemn me. He took me just as I was, broken and lost and searching for a reason to live. He scooped me up, brushed me off, and radically changed everything in me. I want that for you, whomever you are and where ever you are.

I KNOW the sin in my life that Jesus died for. I remember who I was before Christ. I know the change Jesus made in my heart. I know that I would be completely hopeless, wandering, and worthless without Him.

Jesus addresses This very thing when the "church leaders" condemn the woman who anoints His feet. You can read the story here.

Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that's why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little. Luke 7:47

Twilight ... Imagry

I am an avid reader and I thoroughly enjoy a well written book. When a story is well written, the words disappear and only the story remains, and, whether or not you are a fan of  shape shifters and "sparkly vampires",  Twilight is still a well written story. I read all 4 books in 9 days and would have finished quicker than that if I could have sent my family out of town- ha-ha.

 

As I read the books, there were a multitude of things that stood out to me that I could post about, like how refreshing Edward's morals were with respect to intimacy or how we are drawn to stories like Twilight because the love story is so unrealistic, but I was ultimately most struck by the imagery during the battle at the end of Breaking Dawn.  I was touched by all the people who came to the Cullen's aid. I was equally drawn to the dark image of the Volturi and I wonder, if we could see Satan's minions, if their presence would be similar. Are Satan and his followers sure of victory when they face me? Are they arrogant in their attack? Are they calm and confident while I struggle to gather myself and brace for their attack? Those are thoughts for another post. Today, I am thinking about the similarities between the ways the Volturi's attack and Satan's.

The Volturi attacked the mind first, causing pain, delusions, confusion, blindness, and disorientation. One had a power that would cause her opponents to turn from their alliances and be drawn to the Volturi. Satan too attacks the mind. He causes us anguish through fear, worry, anxiety, frustration, unforgiveness, anger, bitterness, etc. Satan separates young, weak, or hurting believers from the Church body and draws them to himself. He causes delusions...we don't see things clearly. He confuses us and makes us blind to the truth of God's Word AND to the evil-ness of his plans. Need an example? See Genesis 3:4-5
 

 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.  “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

 

 We know all this and I've written about it on more than one occasion. What struck me in Breaking Dawn was the IMAGRY of the attack. Bella learns to project her protective shield and is thus able to protect all those she loves from the attacks of the Volturi. She puts up her shield and says that she can "feel Jane's fiery darts" hitting the shield. First tentatively. Then, when Jane realizes that her mind games are not working, Bella feels a full on assault against her shield. Then, when Alec begins his attack, Bella sees it like a mist or a fog creeping around and over her shield, looking for a break, a weak spot to seep through.

Oh MY goodness! I so see Satan attacking just like this! Sometimes I feel him shooting darts at me, unrelenting and forceful. Other times, it is as if he is creeping around, waiting, watching, looking for a weak moment to slip in. I also have a shield of protection (one better than Bella's). Ephesians 6:16 says

 take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

How about that?

Like I said, this is really nothing new. I just really, really like the imagery. (You don't get it in the movie, you have to read the book.) I have experienced Satan's fiery darts and felt him slip into my mind like a fog.

There are other things that I took away from Twilight, Like how Bella was willing to give up her soul to be with Edward and how easy it was for me to read two thousand four hundred and some-odd pages of Twilight, but have a hard time reading my Bible thru in a YEAR.

But those are posts for another day.