Judge Me Not

Today's cup of coffee is housed in my husbands Hillbrook Inn mug. We visited the beautiful, historic, B&B last March and were treated as beautifully as the grounds are kept. I'll expand upon those memories at another time.

 I would be drinking from my mug, but our hellion of a cat decided to play with it... 

Poor mug won't be housing coffee again any time soon. Stupid cat. Perhaps we shall share the sweet kiss of coffee again sometime, dear mug... 

Today I'm drinking Gevalia House Blend. "Back in the day" my parents were part of the Gevalia club where they sent you a coffee pot, travel mugs, and then would send you coffee every month. We purchase ours the good 'ol fashioned way, at Krogers, when it's on sale. 

I am reminded of an old saying that I'm sure you're familiar with, "It takes more than being a good person to get into Heaven" While we all know this to be true, I have, what I believe to be, a challenging spin on this.

It takes more than being a bad person to go to Hell. 

As I write this I have the names and faces of many dear friends, who are some of the most wonderful people you will ever meet, running through my mind. People who are honest, trustworthy, honorable, fun, good doers, generous, kind, warm hearted, hospitable, tender, caring, open minded, welcoming... (catch my drift?). These people do not believe in Christ/have not accepted Him, are not "living right", and maybe don't even believe in God at all. They are wonderful people, some of the best we have ever known. 

These are people I want in my life. People I have learned so much from and that I want to be influential to my children. I love these people with all my heart and the thought of Heaven without them brings me to tears. 

I don't believe in forcing your religious views upon anyone, nor do I believe in condemnation. I pray that someday Christ reveals Himself to our friends in such a real and powerful way that they accept Him into their lives. Until that day, they are still our dear friends and we still love them and pray for them. 

I am also reminded of some of the worst people we have ever come across. Cheaters, haters, gossipers, malicious and selfish, shiny on the outside and rusty on the inside, fake, shallow, no good, rotten, wouldn't trust them with a grain of sand... we've all met people like this. Most of these people go to church, they lift their hands - when prompted by the pastor to do so, they have declared their love and dedication to Christ and have accepted Him into their lives. These people read their Bibles, know the latest and greatest Christian music hits, have the little fish on the bumpers of their cars... 

Please do not confuse my honesty with hate and judgement. Sometimes the truth is not nice. 

Don't get me wrong. I am not trying to say that I am a perfect person either - just ask my husband and/or siblings and best friends about the phrase "milkshake her" and how I handle being stuck behind a poor driver. We all have our days. I'm striving to have fewer of them. 

Why am I saying all of this? 

John 14:6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me"

There are "bad" people that will join us in Heaven. Not because they deserve to be there - nobody deserves the love and forgiveness of our Father (Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God") - but because they have accepted Christ into their lives and, though they may fail more often than not, strive to live a life that brings Him honor. The example that immediately comes to mind is the thief on the cross next to Jesus. 

Luke 23: 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals--one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." 36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." 38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews. 39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. " 43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

How often do we judge people by their actions, how they dress, the words they use, their attitude... none of which influence their final destination.

 - Though these things are reflections of our inner being and we should strive to be pleasing to God in all things. 

1 Samuel 16:7  But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Also

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.  

What if Christ had looked on the thief beside him and said "I'll give the Big Guy your message, have fun burning for all the sins you've committed"

Let's make the decision to be less judgey, to not determine a persons worth by outward appearance alone, and pray that how we live will be pleasing to our Father and a light to those searching in the darkness.