Jen and Brandon Hatmaker's posts have been on my mind, in my prayers, and a part of my coffee cozy times. Maybe all of the hullabaloo blew right over you but I’ve wrestled! And my two days of deep reflection have combined into the following post...a post which is probably not the answer of "yes, I agree with them" or "no, they got it wrong" that you may be expecting.
God spent time reminded me that my life equals to a "snap of the finger" in the span of time. He has whispered to my heart, "Do you really desire to spend it in controversy?" Uh, no, Lord!
So instead, He says...
A) Read my Word
B) From it build
your convictions on how YOU should live for Me
C) Then live it
Those three things in themselves are a huge
undertaking! In this American culture of fb complaining and twitter finger-pointing, it is so easy to get things tilted. But today God brought me again to Jesus' words to Peter in John 21:21-22 where he basically said to get my eyes off others and "...You follow me!" So I will be A, B, and C'n it and will encourage
others to A, B, and C it themselves.
James 4:11-13 (TLB), “Don’t
criticize and speak evil about each other, dear brothers. If you do, you will
be fighting against God’s law of loving one another, declaring it is wrong. But
your job is not to decide whether this law is right or wrong, but to obey it.
Only He who made the law can rightly judge among us. He alone decides to save
us or destroy. So what right do you have to judge or criticize others?”
What a fool's errand it is to try to apply scripture, like you would a
Band-Aid, onto the life of someone else. Each of us has the choice to read the bible (or
not) and apply it (or not). At the end of days, I don't believe you will be there advocating or condemning me nor I, you. Each of us will stand to give
account of our life and decisions only.
In light of this, pardon me as I leave this conversation right here to instead focus on the A, B, and C above.
May you be blessed. May your hope be in Jesus. May your life follow his Word. And as you stand to give account someday, may you be found to be in Him.