In Matthew 7, Jesus tells us to not be judgmental to our fellow human beings. He says that whatever measurement, or as I like to say, whatever measuring stick we hold up to other people’s lives is the same measuring stick God will use to judge us.
I can’t speak for you, but I can speak up for myself. I don’t want a stick applied to my life, regardless if it is for striking or measuring! If I am going to be measured, I would prefer the instrument of measurement be comprised of mercy, forgiveness and love. If that’s how I want to have my life judged, if I am reading Jesus correctly, I need to give mercy, forgiveness and love to the people in my life.
The fundamental underlying principles of our Christian life are forgiveness, mercy, grace and love. This is not some namby-pamby unicorn and rainbows kind of love, this is the real thing, pure and uncut by our selfishness. We have a hard time understanding how God loves us when we have others as an example to follow. People don’t love as purely as God does. Jesus showed us how to love. He reached across lines of difference that separate us. He ignored traditions and attitudes which kept us apart. He demonstrated that loving God with everything we have and loving our neighbors the same way is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.
I see the many who live in addiction in our community. I see the measuring stick we hold up to their lives. As the Church, we should be bringing love and mercy, compassion and forgiveness to the lost, not giving them labels, stigma and judgment. The Church has failed.
The beautiful thing is Jesus gives us redemption, a fresh start, a chance to be forgiven and freed from our chains of judgement, fear, addiction and apathy. There is always hope for redemption in Jesus, always a chance to change the path to Hell to the narrow way to Heaven. Not only is there hope for the addicts, there is hope we may also be freed to love the way Jesus did.
I hear the arguments in the marketplace. “Why do we spend money to revive people when seniors can’t afford their medications and have to choose between food or meds?” We don’t pit victims against each other. The root cause of the problem of both groups, addicts and seniors, is the drug industry. Let us direct our righteous anger at the correct target! By the way, this also applies to the argument that diabetics have to pay exorbitant fees for insulin and we give Narcan to those who have overdosed. Same root cause.
“But they made the choice to throw their lives away! How many times should we bring them back only to have them head right back down the same road?” Jesus tell us we should forgive seven times seventy! Let me say it this way… We are all sinners. We have all fallen short of the glory of God. None of us is righteous. Our sin has doomed us to eternity in punishment and torment. When we know the option is to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and the result is eternity with God in Heaven, how long should we be allowed to accept him? Do we cut off our shot at redemption after the first time we heard the Gospel story? After a year? Five years? Ten? Or do we want to see the door open to us right up to the moment of our very last breath, regardless of how many times we’ve had to accept salvation prior?
For the addicts, we cannot hope for them to receive redemption if they are dead. Nothing is more important than our relationship with God. As people of faith, we must believe in giving every single person as many opportunities for redemption as they need. God gave us that gift and commanded us to do the same for our neighbors. Every person is a beloved child of the Most High God and we are to treat them accordingly, even if they don’t treat or recognize themselves as heirs to royalty.
We will begin to see improvement in our community when we love each other as we have been loved, when we forgive each other as we have been forgiven, when we see each other as God sees us – as cherished family. We don’t deserve this grace, but that’s the point, what makes it grace and makes it beautiful. Let us live the faith we claim to believe.
Peace.
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Source: https://www.mtairynews.com