GodThoughts Wired!
GodThoughtsWired!
"From Condemnation...to Compassion"
I was reviewing some old journal entries the other day. Here's one from several years back,
"Lord, please replace my fleshly judgment
and critical spirit with Your spirit of compassion."
Then, roughly three years later I wrote: "Wow! Indeed, God would answer my prayer. TREMENDOUS grief, sorrow and heartache were soon to come. The answer (my desire for the compassion of Christ), would be birthed from great trial and adversity." Truly, much of any "Christ-likeness" that might be found in me has been the fruit of suffering (see Hebrews 5:8). In fact, it was during this season that I formed the opinion,
ARROGANCE IS FOR THOSE WHO
HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED ENOUGH
CONSEQUENCES.
I would never judge a man born physically blind because of his blindness. He was born that way. So too, those living in spiritual darkness have never known anything else:
"The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving
so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ."
2 Corinthinas 4:4
Mine is not to judge those in the darkness, but to love them with the Light of the Lord. When I "Walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light" (see 1 John 1:7), I model for those living in the ignorance of their darkness…a more excellent way, which opens doors to the preaching of the gospel.
As I reflected on some of the ignorance of my youth I was so grateful that, although God has always loved me wherever I was at, He has also loved me too much to leave me there (see Philippians 1:6). "Do not reject the discipline of the Lord, or loathe His reproof, for whom the Lord loves He reproves" (Proverbs -12). The "pruning" of the Lord can be EXTREMELY painful, but the process makes us more like Jesus.
"He (Jesus) prunes it (us), that it may bear more fruit" (John 15:2).
IJCWM2H-YT007HP7-MT01T8FP-2B007EHC-2HIJCWM
TEXT ONLY EQUIVALENT GodThoughts Wired!
Subscribe
Unsubscribe
Change E-mail
View Archive
From Condemnation...To Compassion
Brad Reiches
Apr 18, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
GodThoughtsWired!
"From Condemnation...to Compassion"
I was reviewing some old journal entries the other day. Here's one from several years back,
"Lord, please replace my fleshly judgment
and critical spirit with Your spirit of compassion."
Then, roughly three years later I wrote: "Wow! Indeed, God would answer my prayer. TREMENDOUS grief, sorrow and heartache were soon to come. The answer (my desire for the compassion of Christ), would be birthed from great trial and adversity." Truly, much of any "Christ-likeness" that might be found in me has been the fruit of suffering (see Hebrews 5:8). In fact, it was during this season that I formed the opinion,
ARROGANCE IS FOR THOSE WHO
HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED ENOUGH
CONSEQUENCES.
I would never judge a man born physically blind because of his blindness. He was born that way. So too, those living in spiritual darkness have never known anything else:
"The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving
so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ."
2 Corinthinas 4:4
Mine is not to judge those in the darkness, but to love them with the Light of the Lord. When I "Walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light" (see 1 John 1:7), I model for those living in the ignorance of their darkness…a more excellent way, which opens doors to the preaching of the gospel.
As I reflected on some of the ignorance of my youth I was so grateful that, although God has always loved me wherever I was at, He has also loved me too much to leave me there (see Philippians 1:6). "Do not reject the discipline of the Lord, or loathe His reproof, for whom the Lord loves He reproves" (Proverbs 3:11-12). The "pruning" of the Lord can be EXTREMELY painful, but the process makes us more like Jesus.
"He (Jesus) prunes it (us), that it may bear more fruit" (John 15:2).
Visit My InJesus
to manage your subscriptions, change your profile, or check out thousands of other great ministry groups.
If you do not have access to the web, you can use these addresses to unsubscribe or subscribe:
To view this message in its entirety on the web, click here. For a printable version of this message, click here
