The Undercurrent of Current Events

David Jeremiah said something, which I’ll paraphrase and add to: When you are in the body of Christ and Christ is in you, there is nothing that separates us, no divisiveness, no prejudice. We are all one; we are all beloved children of the same Heavenly Father God.

If we feel prejudice or divisiveness or condemnation toward anyone, we aren’t to notice or point a finger at how little of Christ we perceive in them, but in OURSELVES. We are to hold up the mirror and study our own reflection.

Someone’s ungodly behavior means they are under spiritual attack. If Christ is in you, what do you know to do, according the the Word?

Are you to criticize or pray?

Are you to condemn or be a Christ-like example?

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then will you see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” – Matthew 7:1-5

Is this easy to practice? Not always. Maybe even infrequently. Why is this? Because all around us are examples of criticism as either comedy or seemingly justified comments, especially when someone does something to us or something we disapprove of. “But,” you might say, “Jesus criticized.” Yes, he did. But never without a teaching or a prophecy attached. He never tore down without also building up, or at least providing the materials (teaching of the Word) for people to use to build a more solid spiritual foundation for themselves and a deeper relationship with God. He also wasn’t encumbered by a speck or a plank in His eye.

When we feel restricted or rejected or judged, we criticize. Considering how many of us grew up with examples of conditional love or conditional approval from family and or society, it’s easy to see why we are so ready to be critical of others.

This is no way to live. This is no way to love. This is no way to live according to God’s Word. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Ask God to forgive you when you practice prejudice, judgment, or condemnation of another rather than praying for them and treating them as you would wish to be treated.

What we are seeing in the the world at this time is the absence or diminished inclusion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in our lives and the lives of others.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help and guide you in this matter. You’ll never get this perfected in your lifetime, and God knows this and still loves you, because God is love. But you can, in your love for God, do what you can to improve, with the help of the Holy Spirit, so your example is a light in the world, especially when it’s dark, as it is these days.

May the blessings of God’s love, wisdom, grace, mercy, care, guidance, and patience cover you and all of us. May the sacred blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, protect, cleanse, restore, and renew you and all of us.