This morning God was pressing in on my heart to pray for all the people have left "the church". He was showing me how sad it is when people leave the church due to other people. Our relationship with Jesus should not be based on anything other than us and Jesus. When we allow other things to come between that, we have just allowed the enemy to have his way in our lives.
Could you imagine if the relationship you had with your wife or your husband was solely based on how well you got along with your in-laws? That you based your commitment, your love, your devotion or even your presence on how well you got along with all the people related to your spouse. The very thought almost sounds silly. Anyone who watched this go on from the outside would clearly say "that's not love". But this is what people do to Jesus all the time. I have a friend who's wife will not attend church because of some bad feelings she has toward a church she once attended. Listen, I will be the first to tell you that if you base your relationship with Jesus on my ability to always be everything you need me to be, it's not going to be good. I would hope and pray that my life would be a life that would point people to Jesus, but I am going to have a bad day. I am going to disappoint someone. I am going to let someone down. And when that time comes, I would hate to think that someone would allow anything negative I would do affect their relationship with their savior.
What you have with Jesus should be personal. So personal in fact, that nothing and no one should be able to do something to cause harm to what you have with Jesus. The Church as a body is a bunch of imperfect people coming together to serve a perfect savior. The very fact that we are all together in the same building should represent that we all see a need for God in our lives. There should not be one single person in the church that thinks they have "their stuff" together any more than the next person. At any given time each of us could find ourselves in the middle of a struggle we never expected. Any of us could find ourselves tempted in a way we did not see coming. Each of us could find ourselves in need of those very people to the left and right of you at church to pray for you, lift you up and help you get back on the right path. Let's not judge those around you at church, instead let's realize we are all broken people in need of a savior, and humble ourselves enough to realize none of us need him any less than the next person.....because we all do need Him!
No matter what side of the line you find yourself on today as you read this blog, ask God to show you how you can help improve "the church". If you have allowed pride to set in when it comes to your walk with Jesus and you have found yourself even once looking down your nose at someone else in the church, then repent and ask Jesus to search your heart. Then allow Him to direct and correct you where needed. If you are a person who has used "the church" or someone in the church as a reason to step away, as a reason to not be as close to God as you should be or once were....then today is also a day for you to repent. Tell God that you can see that you let your personal relationship with Him become less than personal. That you know He died for all of us because of our imperfections and you are sorry for judging the actions of others and allowing that judgement to cause a reaction out of you.
Love.......Love......Love......is what He called us to do to each other. He is the judge and the jury....we are just to love. Jesus set all the examples that we need to live by. John 3:17 states that God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn (some versions say judge) the world, but to save it. If Jesus was not sent to judge the world....then why do we think we can? He was sent with a message to save the world. We have that same message. He forgave everyone who hurt him and still offered them that message.....Shouldn't we be doing the same. Love.....first love Him, then ask Him to help you love everyone else because you realize they are all just as imperfect as you.
God, Thank You that our relationship with You is personal. That our salvation is not based on anyone else....it is between You and I. Help me to have an unoffendable heart just like Jesus did. When someone hurts us because of their own imprecations, help us to immediately pray for them. Help us to not judge them, not get angry at them, not have vengeful thoughts toward them and not to react the way the enemy would have us react. Help us to ALWAYS take it to you, and let you deal with them in love. And let nothing damage what we personally have with you. In Jesus name, Amen.
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