Monday, June 17, 2013

Where is the Love?

My Utmost For His Highest
 
‘The average Christian is the most piercingly critical individual known. Criticism is one of the ordinary activities of people, but in the spiritual realm nothing is accomplished by it. The effect of criticism is the dividing up of the strengths of the one being criticized. The Holy Spirit is the only one in the proper position to criticize, and He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding. It is impossible to enter into fellowship with God when you are in a critical mood. Criticism serves to make you harsh, vindictive, and cruel, and leaves you with the soothing and flattering idea that you are somehow superior to others. Jesus says that as His disciple you should cultivate a temperament that is never critical.’ CHAMBERS
 
Have you ever been there?  Are you there right now?  We can acknowledge that God loves us and we are to love others, and then God brings someone across our path who is very difficult to love.  Our response is to justify why they should not be loved by being critical of what they say or do.  Do we feel superior? Yes.  Do we want to admit that? No .. we want to justify it .. and we cannot … Do you know how great the love of God was that Jesus died for you?  You were a sinner who deserved hell … ‘But God demonstrates His own love for us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’ (Romans 5:8)    Did Jesus take on a superior attitude … no but that of a servant .. He laid His life down … And we are supposed to do the same thing .. It is not your superior spiritual nature that causes you to be critical of others .. it is your flesh … You are not the Holy Spirit … It is the beam in your eye that is reflected like a speck in your Brother’s eye that you are criticizing.  Nowhere in the Bible will you see an admonition to be critical of one another or judge one another … on the contrary, we are told to love one another … So where is the love?
 
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

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