Fellow Labourers-
"Without a clear glimpse of our own sinfulness, not even God can measure up to our lopsided, self-righteous standards." This sentence is taken directly from today's article and is done so precisely because of something I read in today's [Fri 25/09/09] Observer on casino gambling. Here is a direct quote from Mr. Joseph Pereira, the deputy principal of the University of the West Indies' Mona Campus at an address he gave to the quarterly luncheon of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Wexford Hotel. "Talks that casino gambling will lead to more corruption in the country is baseless. Let me be disrespectful and say, I don't think that we Jamaicans can have anymore corruption of our morals; we are already nice and firmly corrupted."
I know we can get all riled up and defensive over this remark, but is it true? Using this argument to justify casino gambling is another matter all together, but I do find that there is a lot of lop-sided self-righteous standards abounding. Let me use a simple example of our lop-sidedness when it comes to self-righteous standards. We are upset when we see shops and supermarkets open on Sundays, but yet we patronize them. And we ourselves do buy and sell at church on a Sunday. I am not here trying to be legalistic, just stating the obvious. The rightness or wrongness is not my motive, but just how we think and behave.
When it comes to mercy and justice what informs us? Do we come to the table demanding our pound of flesh or do we look to the cross. It was at the cross that truth, mercy and justice and met.So,I will continue to sing "In the cross be my glory ever."
Pax Vobiscum
Robert A. Stewart
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Richard wrote:
ReplyDeleteHoly People,
I am convinced that there are those of us who think they have a monopoly on God, by virtue of how they would deal with the rest of us. But if we should stop to think for a while we would understand that we are all products of God’s mercy and by extension we are obliged to show mercy on our fellowmen. The distinction must be made however, between condoning and condemning, as we observe the life of Jesus we noted that he who had power to condemn have always shown mercy…. Hath no man condemned thee? Neither do I condemn the, go and sin no more (St. John 8). In St. Luke 7, Simon wanted to condemn the sinner woman but Jesus show her mercy.
There is an adage that goes… “In the worst of us there is some good in us, and in the best of us there is some bad in us, so it doesn’t suit any of us to speak bad about the rest of us.” There is something that I have observed over time and it brings my mind the story in St Luke 12 vs 1… sometime we suddenly get super-righteous because someone has messed up, be it in action, or word, the motive that drives our action is the very thing that that can determine our spiritual health. Galatians 1 vs. 10 have always interest me as it was given to me by the angel (CORNIEL) i.e. Cornel in August 1997 at my ordination.
May our prayer be, Lord I yield myself to thee and only thee forever by thy grace I live each day and for thy glory ever.
Richard
Beldene wrote:
ReplyDeleteOh yes Elder and fellow-Labourers, I can't agree more, "Without a clear glimpse of our own unrighteousness... we sometimes strive to take justice in our own hands forgetting that the word of God in Matt. 7:1, which says "Judge not that we be not judged." We are quick to look at the faults of others and condemn them. We then cover up our own unrighteousness. May God have mercy on us and help us to examine ourselves, see where we have fallen short and repent so that we can receive forgiveness. People need to understand that it's not what we do sometimes that makes us sinful. It's sometimes what we did not do. That's called..."The sin of Omission". This dear Brothers and Sisters should be one of our topics for Bible Study.