People who say they are saved and believe in Jesus the Christ do sin and make many mistakes. These people do wrong and have to ask God for forgiveness. In the same way, these Christ-Believers have habitual sin and behaviors that would call into question their seriousness and sincerity in or about how much they believe.
I find that some avid Christian church-goers i.e. Preachers, Pastors, choir members, Deacons and all the numerous people in numerous ministries and boards created within church DO sin regularly. These people are of those that judge others and try and put others down and cast others out as if they have some authority to judge, condemn, broadcast other Christian’s sins.
I am asking those who this do take to heart the fact that we that are saved by Jesus the Christ and are apart of His family do not have the right to broadcast other people’s sin.
Instead, we are to pray for one another that we overcome those sins. Too many of us have forgotten this principle that if we judge others, shame on us. We need to help others, even those who have no yet accepted Christ. Why would they accept Christ and listen to us if we are busy being fake? If we are saying it’s wrong to sell drugs but yet we are the drug dealers’customers. We shun people for being gay but yet the there is all kinds of gay folk in ministries across all churches. We say drinking is so wrong when it’s nothing wrong with a drink as long as we don’t get drunk but yet some of us go into church service smelling like alcohol yet feel we have a right to look down on those pregnant teens that are on our pew.
We as Christians are not above sin nor do we have the right to roll our eyes at those who come to church with jeans and a t-shirt on. We say it’s wrong to sell drugs but yet when our people who serve their time in jail come out with felonies we don’t hire them but we expect them to not rob and steal. {Let me interject and say stealing is wrong. Look at the point of my thoughts}.
Society then give them the name “felon” and they can’t go to school because they are not permitted to get student loans but we say get an education.
The question becomes: what do we expect? We expect to have safe streets and we hold vigils for those shot and young people are killing each other over turf wars but we as the church and community do not want to get our hands dirty and actually poll of community members and find out how many people are struggling without jobs, how many felons, how many homes without a mother and father then tally all these and come up with solutions that fund more than the suits and ties our local pastors and clergy and state and city reps wear to sit on a panel to stop violence. We stand in front of mics and make statements but what work are we really doing to help our people?
We got to do better. Young people don’t want to hear us talk about Christ but don’t sit down with them to learn about them and help them through the situations they face. We don’t help them get jobs or mentors. We just protest against stuff but don’t put our hands in the clay pot.
How many churches are in your community? How many state leaders in local government? How many of us volunteer? How many of us know what it’s like to wake up and feel there is no hope? How many of us know how much money we give in church that goes towards needy families? How many of us wake up hungry? How many of us need help but don’t know where to go in the community for help?
God is calling His people to do work. The reality is that some people want to change and become better.
If Jesus walked around and talked to those who other people wouldn’t give a second look or a second chance, how are we better than Christ? Jesus could have demanded expensive shoes and clothes and could have rode an animal around, after all He is and was The Savior.
If Christ took time to help us and He knows we mess up, why don’t we help others with more than lip-service?
Why don’t we sacrifice buying tons of suits and shoes, dresses to wear to church to sit and shout and then we don’t go out and buy our community food and clothes?
Why does pastors have more than one car and their congregation has a ton of poor folk giving tithes and offering but can’t buy gas and feed their family?
Yeah, I know. I am not saying we shouldn’t go to church and look nice I am saying that in addition to that we need to be in our communities and actually helping.
I am speaking truth so I expect someone to throw shade at me but the thing is I’m not the one out here saying I don’t have sin cuz that’s a lie! I have sin and yes I have habits but the more I pray to my God the more I seek Him the better I will get.
Let’s hold each other up and do actual work. Let’s approach others with the same dignity and respect we want as clergy. We cannot help our community without standing up and saying we got sin too and we are in need of the same help that they need from the same God!
Loving each other calls us to be like Jesus and have a seat at the non-popular “sinner” table where Jesus sits arms open and willing to take us in and forgive us if we are sincere and changes us as we realize we can’t change on our own. Even we as Christians have battles and have to encourage each other and ourselves. Sometimes we don’t have money or food but we still trust God and God does make a way by sending someone to help us….I have experienced this more than once.
The only important difference between us as Christians and non-believers is that the greatest gift we ever received is Jesus and we have Jesus to pray to and call for strength help, FORGIVENESS and He gives us strength in hard times, courage to get through things we fear, comfort when we mourn, love when we feel no one loves us or cares about us, protection from Satan and his followers, a smile when it seems the stuff we face is lasting a while, Jesus is warmth in a mean and cold world, Jesus helps the Believer to find light in dark places. The Believer holds onto Christ even when other believers and unsaved people do them wrong.
To know Jesus and His Word is what keeps me from the enemy who tries to kill me. Praying to Jesus and watching Him work in my life and other people’s lives fills me with so much joy.
My Prayer to God through Jesus Christ: Lord, I want to walk right before you Lord. I want people to see you in me. I don’t want my sin to cause anyone else to stumble. I desire to learn Your way and You will. I desire to live after Your Spirit which is in me and I do not want to live by my flesh. I want to be better. I ask for forgiveness of my sins. Please forgive me because I have been wrong towards others. Please forgive me when I doubt You sometimes. I know You stay with me because You promised You won’t ever leave us or throw us away. Thank Your for Your love. I know that if I love You, I will love the right way and I desire that when I pass from this world, I be where You are because I acknowledge my sin and am working on me. In Jesus name, Amen.
Today’s Scripture:
Because Jesus made us all, which includes the saved and the unsaved, I believe He meant this scripture for US ALL. If you think about it, the believer has sins too so He is telling us ALL what to do if We want His help. The unsaved would become believers and accept Jesus and in the accepting of Jesus Christ the unsaved are saved and start seeking Jesus. The saved would humble themselves and submit to Him.
2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Daily Walking Towards Christ 