The sharing of an opinion has the opportunity to provide a positive learning experience. I have never kept a daily log to tabulate the number of opinions I have heard throughout the course of a single day, but I believe it would be a fun project to just keep a record to see all the things you think of in a 24 hour setting.
I have heard preachers, pastor’s and teachers often say, in reference to being a Christian, that it is easy. Not sure what they base their opinion on, but my personal experience is not one that I can say has been easy, as there are many difficult things about being a Christian, and following Him is just one of those difficult experiences. I have said many times that “loving your enemies” is not a very fun thing to do, and certainly “praying for them” is not something that you just wake up in the morning all excited about. I believe practicing that example of Christianity is difficult. As a Christian we can be successful in loving our enemies and praying for them, but it requires serious work and a commitment to follow Him.
Jesus was a friend to sinners. Sounds easy to say, but difficult to practice. The Apostle Paul said that he was chief of sinners and that is a very different opinion to hear as many folks believe Christians are “perfect in someway” or that they “never do wrong”.
I have always identified myself as a sinner, not that is it something I am proud of or boastful of, but it certainly is something that I am always mindful of, and that has always served me well in working with others, being mindful that even when we miss our marks, or His mark for our lives, He still loves us and His plan is still at work in our lives.
That is a very difficult opinion to believe in because most people enjoy watching others suffer and have difficult experiences that seem to bring them down, or as some say, “shows them” type of attitude. I Cor 13: has something to say about that, and if we the human race, we don’t get excited about their wrong doing and or their punishment. Rather we strive to find a way to walk beside people, a look for opportunity to be a real friend, and most importantly we don’t step back when the hour has arrived. When I look at Jesus and His example, I see His opinion everywhere. In Luke Chapter 14: we see plenty of His opinion and extended friendship. He healed the man with Dropsy and how about His association with the ten lepers; Jesus loved rich young rulers and blind beggars. Of course headline news would have reported that Jesus gave Zacchaeus a second chance too. All opinions that if practiced, are not easy as a Christian.
For whatever reason, we like for people to like us, we want to be appreciated, and respected, so sometimes, we don’t get involved or we will not associate with individuals
because of their bad reputation, but that wasn’t the opinion of Jesus.
Until then
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1 comment:
Tim I wholeheartedly agree. As I am preparing to preach a sermon from the book of James I think about the idea that faith without works is dead faith. Reaching out to those who the world has turned its back on and those that many people call useless and disgusting are exactly the people chose to dwell with. Jesus was ministry and when we live our lives as a minsitry just like he did, then we come to understand what James is talking about when he says, "show me your faith without works and I will show you faith from my works.
Will Zik
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