Expectations

Often times people in the church like to complain about how people in the world are the problem when in reality the world is just being the world. Why would people who don't believe in morals and Godly principles and truth abide by them? Yet that is often times what we expect from people who don't truly believe in God. Why is that?

Often times the church doesn't realize her role in society. If we who have the light do not reveal the light then how can we expect anyone to find their way through the dark? If we look and act like the dark or don't ever allow those who are in the dark to be part of our lives how will they ever see the light?

We as followers of Jesus have to ask ourselves some assessment questions. Are our frustrations founded in truth or are they worldly? The world needs ministry from hearts that are led by Kingdom truths. The Lord's heart is for the lost. He treasures them so much that he was willing to give up his only Son for them (us). We need to ask ourselves the question, do we treasure the lost like He does? Do we see the lost the way he does? This is a journey I have been on with the Lord. He has been asking me these questions and I have been challenged big time but things he is revealing about my heart towards a number of the lost. Here's a little story that happened in the last couple of months. My wife was out of town visiting family and so it was me and the kids. We decided to go and get some pizza from Papa Murphy's and as we were pulling into the parking lot there was a girl walking down the side walk in a very provocative mini skirt and was all done up in makeup and had high heels on. All the people driving by were taking note of her. The area where this Papa Murphy's is a place where prostitution takes place and in my assessment I though this girl is a prostitute and then out of the back seat my 8 year old daughter notices her and says, "daddy look at how beautiful that girl is, she must be going to ball or a dance or something" and I thought if she only knew. Then I heard the Lord's voice say, your daughter sees what I see. I was humbled big time. When God looked at that girl he did not see a prostitute, he saw his lost daughter that had been chewed up by the destructive circumstances she had to face in this world. I couldn't stop thinking about it for the next number of days and I began to ask myself questions like, what are the things in me that get in the way of seeing what the Lord sees in people even when their outward appearance or lifestyle choices offend me. I began to think about all the opportunities lost because I judged someone or decided not to interact with them based on my biases. As I went down this journey I began to see how much of a "Hypocritical Religious Heart" had taken root in my heart. Love can't flow out of that kind of heart, only pride, judgement, and rejection. UGLY!!!!!!!!!!

I would encourage you to go back and read the gospels again and see how Jesus interacted with all those he came across and not romanticize it but look at it for what it really was: Lepers, Samaritan Woman, crooked tax collectors, the poor, lame, those who mocked him at the cross. Then asked yourself the question do I love like Jesus?