Hello All,
(Just a general disclaimer that I must insert here at the beginning. I am but a lay person, like most of you. And these weekly “thoughts” are but my own. Not the definitive word on this or any topic. Just my own conclusions derived from my own study and faith in God. The greatest hope I have for these weekly “thoughts” is to have them be a springboard for further study on your part. Not to be a weekly treatise to be blindly accepted. So, please read them with this intent, this motive in mind).
There will be a memorial service for my son Kevin at the “Young at Heart” center in Rock Springs on Saturday, May 23, from 3P-5P MDT (5P-7P EDT). It will also be “live streamed” on Facebook. To “stream”, log-in to “Southwest Wyoming District of Rocky Mountain Conference” on “Facebook”. The service will be seen on the home page itself starting at 3P MDT. No other link is needed.
This week’s lesson from “The Adult Sabbath School Guide” was titled “Creation: Genesis as Foundation – Part 1”. I like the emphasis in this lesson. In Genesis, we see where we came from, why we are here, and the promise of a bright tomorrow. This book truly explains so much. It is sad that many Christians have relegated this book to mere mythology… or only irrelevance. In Genesis we find the promise of a redeemer… giving meaning to Jesus’ incarnation. How much is missed by dismissing Genesis!
We are confronted on all sides by Christians who hold different theologies, even as they hold to the same “Book”. One of us believer’s greatest challenges is to relate to nonconformist-believers in a caring manner. History is replete with atrocities committed to individuals and communities that hold dissenting views from the prevailing understanding. Of all people, we Adventists who hold to the entire Bible, who claim to know our God best because of it, must reflect God’s character best. Judgmental attitudes are NOT from our God. Over and over He assured us that He does not judge us (that’s right. The true nature of our God is not one of “judge”, as we conventionally understand it).
“For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son” (John 5: 22). “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved… And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3: 17, 19). “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12:47).
Unfortunately, many Christians have a God who is two-faced… a God who says that He does not judge in the person of Christ, but surely judges you (condemns you) in the end. And we use this concept to judge others today… condemn others… something Christ did not do. And something we are so warned against. “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things” (Romans 2: 1-2). In this text, not only are we warned against judging others (that those who judge are practicing the same sins as identified in Romans 1), but we also see what God’s “judgement” really is. It is a revealing of truth.
As time draws to a close, we must be sure that we believers do not fall prey to judging others. It is not our job. We are called to love others, even as our Father loves. Judging is not for us. The Christians who have relegated Genesis to myth or irrelevance do not need our condemnation. They need our love. In the final analyses, do we believe God’s methods of love are superior? The way we act toward others reveals our understanding of God. I pray that our lives reflect God as He really is, not as we sinners perceive Him to be. To finish the work and to not have to re-do it, we must have a proper start… seeing and relating to God as He is.
With brotherly love,
Jim