Judge Not...

There is a reason that God, in His infinite wisdom, told us not to judge others. He did tell us to watch the actions (fruits) of others. He did tell us to be wise. He also commanded us to love. How can we truly love when we are grilling someone on the witness stand or strapping them into the electric chair?

Judging is some serious business. When we judge, we decide that we are God. We decide that we are better than He. We decide that we know more than He knows. There are some problems with that, besides the fact that we are NOT God. All we can see are the actions, the words and the results of that person. While those can be very damning, there is something missing. And that something is very large. That is the heart of the defendant. We cannot see, no matter how well we know them, what their motivations were. Even if we spent days, weeks or even years trying to learn their heart, we would never understand them as their Maker does.

The basic reason for this can be found in the Book of Genesis. The story of the Tower of Babel. When we all speak the same language, when we all think the same, we can make the decision that there is no need for God. So He introduced languages to the builders. It was quite disastrous at the time, but something beautiful (and frustrating) came out of it. We found that we need a Mediator. And who better than our Lord?

So the next time that car cuts you off on the interstate, pause. They may be rushing to a loved one's side. The next time your office manager speaks sharply, pause. They may have just received bad news. The next time a dear friend doesn't notice your pain, pause. They may be in pain themselves. Ask Him to see through His Eyes. Have you taken the time to hear the heart of the defendant? Have you taken the time to put yourselves in their place? Be quick to listen and very slow to judge.

Fighting the Inevitable

18 On the seventh day the child died. David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, "While the child was still living, we spoke to David but he would not listen to us. How can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate."
19 David noticed that his servants were whispering among themselves and he realized the child was dead. "Is the child dead?" he asked. "Yes," they replied, "he is dead."
20 Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.
21 His servants asked him, "Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!"
22 He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.' 23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."

2 Samuel 12:18-23

David knew that this child was going to die. Nathan, the prophet, had told him that because of his repentance, David would live, but his son would die. Even so, when the boy became ill, David fasted and prayed. Why did he fight it? Then, why did he not grieve afterward? So many times, I wish that the writers of the Bible would give me more information. I want to know how David felt in the days, weeks, months after his son died. How did he feel and act on the anniversary of his little boy's birth and death? We won't know this side of Heaven. But I still wonder.

I have fought the inevitable. For a year and a half, I grasped at straws, pretended not to hear my doctor when he used the word hysterectomy. I tried to bargain my way out of infertility. Then I stopped fighting. I gave up what I had always wanted and always believed would be my future. Are there moments when I grieve? Absolutely. Do I believe that this was God's road for me? Absolutely.

So, is there something wrong with fighting the inevitable? I don't think so. Without hope, how can we survive? Didn't Jesus, Himself, ask for some other way moments before He was taken by the Roman soldiers? The God we serve is not threatened by our fears, our anger and our tears. In other words, He is not threatened by our fighting. We cannot see our futures, but He can. We cannot see around the bend of our road. But He can.

There were many people in the Bible whose prayers, fasting and cries moved the heart of God. Moses, Jonah, Hannah. Find their stories. Read them. Learn from them. Fight the inevitable. You never know when it isn't inevitable.

The Cost

How much does it cost? How much would you be willing to give up to follow Christ? That is a question that is rarely asked. In this 'feel good' society and time that we live in it isn't a very popular thought. Has Jesus' question to the rich young ruler ever plagued you? Is He asking the same of all of us?

C.S. Lewis stated (with my interpretation) that we welcome Him into the tiny house that is our hearts. We open up the rooms that we want Him to see, but lock the one that we don't want Him to see. He is not interested in leaving our hearts the way in which He found them. He begins to open locked doors, knock down walls and begin a complete renovation. The goal is become as Christ-like as possible. He builds a mansion out of our tiny little bungalow. While the end result is stunning beauty and there can be moments of amazing joy and beautiful moments with Him. However, changes like this also cause pain along with facing what we have stored in those locked rooms.

In the Japanese culture, the present generation's job & duty is to keep a shrine. That shrine is to be kept clean & spotless. It is at that shrine that the Japanese pray. They pray to their ancestors. This is how they honor the generations that came before. When a Japanese person becomes a Christian, they stop praying to their ancestors and begin praying to the one and true God. They turn their back on their ancestors. They turn their back on their parents, their family. To become a Christian means that they pay a high price.

So, we are back to the question, how much does becoming Christ-like cost us? And are you willing to pay it? The rich young ruler couldn't turn his back on his riches. What habits, sins and cultures are we going to turn our backs on? And what do we get in return?

A Lord who stays closer than a brother. Freedom that comes from binding ourselves to Him. An entirely new family. I believe that there can only be facades of peace and happiness without Him. As Jesus told the woman at the well, the thirst is only quenched for a short time. She would have to come back again and again to the well. He is the well that never runs dry. And the cost for this well? Nothing we could hold onto is worth losing what He has to offer.

It has been happening since almost the beginning of time. And no, it's not the procrastination that has kept me from posting, that's just me. No, it's that pesky little thing attached to our hands. You know that finger, the one that's next to the thumb? Adam was the first human to use that finger. And he made sure that it didn't point to himself. Was he right? Was it Eve's fault? Sure. But was he blameless? Absolutely not. Yet that reaction of his seemed to catch on like a virus. And all of humanity is eaten up with it. Blame.

In dealing with children, you have to be careful how you approach them. At the youngest of ages, they will quickly point their fingers to someone (anyone) else. 'Not me!' seems to be their favorite answer. Unless it's, 'They started it!' If you don't think that adults will pull out those excuses, imagine your next staff meeting when your bosses are trying to figure out who is responsible for wrong behaviour. I am no theologian but I would be willing to bet that this habit is wrapped up in that ugly thing called human nature. You could search for a thousand years and never find any part of God in human nature. We are born in sin and live with these habits to our dying days.

So what's with all the bad news? Just because God can't be found in our failings, doesn't mean He can't be found. He makes Himself available. If you don't agree, just cry out right now. Call to Him in your heart. He will answer. In His time and in His way, but be assured He will answer. How do I know? Let me take you back about 25 years. Oh, my heavens, I feel old! My brother, sister & I were in Bible College. Richard was the only one of us with a car. He had bought it just about a year and a half before. It was used, but we loved it. It meant everything a car can when you are college age. Freedom and independence. Even if it belonged to your brother. Then it happened. Lisa wrecked our brother's first car. Now we three siblings had lost our freedom and independence.

Lisa had a hard road to walk. She was at fault not the other driver. She was responsible. She actually felt that forgiveness was not available to her because the wreck was her fault. If you have accepted forgiveness from Jesus Christ, you know the truth. He shared that with Lisa. As she was crying out in her prayers, she felt the Lord telling her that the fact that it was her fault had nothing to do with forgiveness. While the consequences of the wreck did not go away, God is always ready to forgive.

He does not point fingers. He didn't when He was on trial, and He doesn't now. He didn't when He was being executed, and He doesn't now. He didn't when He reunited with those who betrayed Him, and He doesn't now. Your mistake, no matter how small or how horrific, can be forgiven. You may have to walk out the consequences, but you can walk forgiven by the Saviour of your soul. So look to the only One who isn't pointing His finger at you.

Stille Zaterdag

I follow David Nasser (http://www.davidnasser.com/) on Twitter. I discovered him my his visits on the Rick and Bubba Show(http://www.rickandbubba.com/). His testimony is amazing and he is the author and co-founder of the book Glory Revealed as well as its two CD's. I love it when he's on the show. His words, both written and spoken have ministered to me greatly!

Yesterday, I checked my twitter and shuffled through the things that interest me, both spiritual and non. David had twittered that Dutch Christians still call today Stille Zaterdag "Silent Saturday". WOW!! This day, around 2000 years ago, the earth stood silent. Those who had followed this Jesus of Nazareth were silent. Those who put Him to death were silent. Max Lucado even wrote a book entitled The Angels Were Silent. The Earth was silent. The worst that could ever happen to the heavens, the earth and to all its inhabitants had happened. God had been murdered by those He loved the most. His own creations.

The Christ haters were silent, wondering what would come next. Christ's followers were also wondering how they were to live now and how much longer they would be walking the face of the earth. I have no proof of this, but wonder if the animals were even silent. Worse than hurricanes, earthquakes and any other natural disasters, the One present at the making of all was dead, entombed and locked away behind a massive stone.

Silence, despair and waiting. Silent Saturday. Everything and everyone holding their breath. What was next? Want to know? Read the last few chapters of any of the Gospels; Matthew, Mark, or John. Attend a Sunrise service. Walk into any church that you can find. Then, as Paul Harvey used to say, you will hear "the rest of the story". And believe you, me, its a doozy!

Happy Silent Saturday, dear ones!

Surprise!!!!

Sometimes God likes to surprise us. I know that may sound sacrilegious, but it isn't. In Max Lucado's book He Still Moves Stones, one chapter references that. It's when Mary Magdalene is on her way to the tomb the day after the Sabbath. He wonders what would have happened if she had given up. What if she had stopped half way there? Think about what she would have missed! She would have missed seeing the resurrected Jesus face to face. What a way to cap the worst days of her life!

Picture your own worst days. Maybe you're living through them right now. Just hold on! As dark as your life can be right now, dawn could just be moments away. Sometimes it's as simple as a turn in the battle toward the positive. Or a kind word in a flood of negativity. A smile when you are surrounded by frowns.

But sometimes it's the answer to a prayer that you've been praying for so long you can't remember when you began. A child has finally returned to the Arms of Christ. The words, "it's in remission" come to your ears. A reunion of with a long lost friend. The next interview tells you that you're just what they're looking for.

So let us hold fast, dear ones. We are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, but the sun will rise and it will be as beautiful and precious as a surprise.

Am I the only person who falls into a serious stage of ADHD during worship? It's not even that I struggle with Attention Deficit on a regular basis. Just when I'm trying to connect with God! Here's what happens:

• I am singing the song, lead by the worship leader, truly feeling the movement of the Holy Spirit.
• My arms are lifted high, just me and Him.
• I can feel Him working on those dark and sad places.
• I begin to cry just a little.
• As a tear rolls down my face, I remember how I look when I cry. (And it's not pretty, let me tell you!)
• I remember how the Princess in Braveheart looks when she cries.
• Then I remember why she was crying.
• I picture Mel Gibson's death in the movie.
• I wonder what he was recently doing to mess up his life so much.
• I mean, he had such annointing to make The Passion of the Christ.
• That leads to Jim Caviezel.
• Then there's the line of soldiers coming to the Garden.
• Jim, as Jesus, crushing the snake under his foot.
• The actress that played Lucifer was brilliant!
• She looked so weird with out her eyelashes and eyebrows.
• Mel Gibson's idea, I think.
• Man, he did such a good job with that movie!
• The hand holding the nail was actually Mel's.
• He did that just because it was our sin that put Jesus on that Cross.
• Wait, what was I singing?!?!?

There you have it. A snapshot of the mind of Lara Moore. Not a pretty place, I tell you! Similar to how I look when I cry. Katherine Heigl looks pretty when she cries. I used to like her...