Are you tired of the\nconstant searching for the worst in other people, especially in politics,\nmedia, and entertainment? From the President on down, anybody can have their\npast investigated, going through your high school yearbook, social media, old\nfriends, and anything they can find to embarrass you and accuse you of one of\nthe popular \u201cisms\u201d that are the prominent sins of choice in today\u2019s culture. I\nread of one Yale opinion writer who vowed to go around with her camera\nfollowing \u201cwhite boys\u201d, hoping to record them doing or saying something\nsocially unacceptable that can be used\nagainst them in the future, in case they ever run for political office! (Boy,\nam I glad I went to high school and college in a time long before social media\nand cell phones. Some of us might be in big trouble!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you find joy and\nsatisfaction when someone from the \u201cother side\u201d, politically or socially, gets\ncaught in a scandal or some sinful behavior that embarrasses them? Do you feel gleeful when one of \u201cthose\nhypocrites\u201d gets caught? If so, then you\nand I who claim to be followers of Jesus may need to take a serious look at our\nhearts and attitudes! Remember the time when Jesus taught his followers how to\npray and part of that was the line \u201cForgive us our trespasses (sins) as we\nforgive those who trespass (sin) against us\u201d? \nOops\u2026 that kind of throws a monkey wrench in our culture, doesn\u2019t it?\nMaybe some of we Christians need a remedial course on the basics of\nChristianity, remembering who we are, who God is, and what he has done for us\nJesus! Let me share a few major points that we, and certainly our culture,\nseems to have forgotten:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1) FROM GOD\u2019S STANDPOINT, ALL OF US HAVE SINNED AND FALL WOEFULLY SHORT OF\nGOD\u2019S STANDARDS FOR WHAT HE ORIGIANLLY CREATED US!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 23 <\/sup><\/em> for all have sinned and fall short\nof the glory of God, –<\/strong>Romans 3:23 (NIV) 27 <\/sup><\/em> “You have heard that it was\nsaid, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 <\/sup> But\nI tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed\nadultery with her in his heart. – Matthew\n5:27-28 (NIV) 12 <\/sup><\/em> For the word of God is living and\nactive. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing\nsoul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the\nheart. 13 <\/sup> Nothing in all\ncreation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare\nbefore the eyes of him to whom we must give account. – <\/strong>Hebrews\n4:12-13 (NIV) 2) IN SPITE OF OUR SIN, GOD STILL LOVES US SO MUCH HE\nSENT HIS SON JESUS TO DIE FOR OUR SINFULNESS AND OFFER US FORGIVENESS AND POWER\nTO OVERCOME SIN AND HAVE A NEW BEGINNING AT LIFE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 16 <\/sup><\/em> “For\nGod so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes\nin him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 <\/sup> For God did\nnot send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world\nthrough him. – <\/strong>John 3:16-17 (NIV) Jesus preached primarily\nabout the coming Kingdom of God (Heaven) where there will be no more sin in any\nform! For those who accept his offer, we will live forever, with Him, in a\nsinless world where there is no death, sickness, hunger, or evil thoughts of\nany kind! It may be a world very much like the earth we live in now, and we\nwill have new bodies that will never get sick or weak! Isn\u2019t that the kind of\nworld you would prefer to live in?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3)THEREFORE, GOD CALLS HIS PEOPLE TO JOIN HIM IN A\nLIFESTYLYE OF FORGIVENESS AND REDEMPTION TOWARD OTHERS, RATHER THAN THE EASY\nCONDEMNATION, NIT-PICKING, AND DESIRING TO DESTROY OTHERS THAT IS SO PREVALENT\nIN OUR CULTURE TODAY! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n GOD DOESN\u2019T WANT TO THROW ANYONE\u2019S LIFE AWAY!\nEVERYBODY CAN REPENT, BE REDEEMED, AND HAVE A BRAND NEW START AT A NEW LIFE FOR\nETERNITY!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible makes it clear that most people will\nnot choose a path of redemption and forgiveness, and will go on spewing vitriol\nand hatred, even celebrating sinfulness in others, somehow thinking they are\njustifying their own thoughts by condemning others who they perceive as worse\nthan them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 28 <\/sup><\/em> Furthermore, since they did not\nthink it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved\nmind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 <\/sup> They\nhave become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.\nThey are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 <\/sup> slanderers, God-haters, insolent,\narrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their\nparents; 31 <\/sup> they are\nsenseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 <\/sup> Although\nthey know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death,\nthey not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who\npractice them. <\/strong>– Romans 1:28-32 (NIV) True Christianity has always been radically\ncounter-cultural to society, and today God is calling us to be just the\nopposite of what we see in our destructive world today!<\/strong> No matter how much we may disagree or even despise\nothers, God views every human being as made in the image of God and of infinite\nvalue to him. He wants everyone to accept his grace, his offer of forgiveness\nand redemption, and so should we! The New Testament continually calls us to\n\u201cput to death\u201d our old sinful patterns and begin the new lifestyle of God\u2019s\ncoming Kingdom:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5 <\/sup><\/em> Put to death, therefore, whatever\nbelongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires\nand greed, which is idolatry. 6 <\/sup> Because\nof these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 <\/sup> You\nused to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 <\/sup> But now you must rid yourselves of all\nsuch things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from\nyour lips. 9 <\/sup> Do not lie to\neach other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 <\/sup> and have put on the new self, which\nis being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. –<\/strong>Colossians\n3:5-10 (NIV) Remember, when you became\na Christian, God\u2019s Holy Spirit dwelt permanently in you, and offers to do a\ncharacter transformation within you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 22 <\/sup><\/em> But the fruit of the Spirit is\nlove, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 <\/sup> gentleness and self-control. Against\nsuch things there is no law. 24 <\/sup> Those\nwho belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions\nand desires. – Galatians 5:22-24 (NIV) Are you willing to be a\nperson of forgiveness, mercy, and hope, even for the most vile in our world?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you willing to stand\nup for the joy and promise of God\u2019s future Kingdom, even though you may be\nridiculed and mocked?<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many \u201cradical\u201d\ngroups today, wanting to change society to create their idea of a perfect\nutopia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you willing to be\nradical for God, promoting forgiveness, redemption, and eventual restoration of\nGod\u2019s amazing perfect, sinless, eternal Kingdom?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I invite you to invest\nyour time, heart, and energy on what really matters and what will make an\neternal and redemptive difference, the Kingdom of God!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Are you tired of the constant searching for the worst in other people, especially in politics, media, and entertainment? From the President on down, anybody can have their past investigated, going through your high school yearbook, social media, old friends, and anything they can find to embarrass you and accuse you of one of the … Continue reading GRACE & FORGIVENESS IN A WORLD OF GOTCHA POLITICS AND THROW-AWAY PEOPLE!<\/span>
\n<\/em>Simply put, this means ALL of us are\nguilty of sin, and the result is that ANY sin will separate us from God for\neternity! And the worse news is, there is nothing you can do about it to save\nyourself or earn God\u2019s approval or forgiveness! It\u2019s easy to point out other\u2019s\nsins and shortfalls, but we struggle to see it in ourselves. Jesus taught us\nthat the contamination of sin is not just in our actions, but in our very\nhearts and thoughts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/em>If you think social media or\nreporters are dangerous, remember that God knows EVERYTHING you do or say: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\n <\/em>Yes,\nin the final judgement, all of us have to give an account for our sinfulness;\nbut rather than condemnation right now, God offers us the gift of forgiveness\nnow, and His power to change and become new people from the inside out! This\nfree, unmerited gift is called God\u2019s Grace, and is free to all who accept\nJesus\u2019 sacrifice for them and put their faith and trust in Him. Even though God\nhas every right to condemn us for our rebellion and sinful thoughts and actions\n(like people are gleefully doing to each other today), he chose instead to\nforgive and offer to redeem and restore us to what he designed us to be in the\nbeginning of creation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\n30 <\/sup> And do not grieve the Holy\nSpirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 <\/sup> Get rid of all bitterness, rage and\nanger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 <\/sup> Be kind and compassionate to one\nanother, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. – <\/strong>Ephesians 4:30-32 (NIV)
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