Misapplication of Grace?

I've often wondered how frequently the apostle Paul was haunted by his own past, after becoming a Christian.  Perhaps his spiritual ability to receive and to communicate the grace of God sprang from that grace liberally applied to his own life.  As a reminder, Paul (while named Saul) had many Christians killed for their faith, while he zealously persecuted the Christian movement.  He had much to be forgiven.

(If we are honest with ourselves, don't we all?)

This morning's news program featured a U.S. Congressman who was railing against the fact a certain public figure had committed numerous legal transgressions.  Yet, no action has been taken or is being taken against her.  She is unrepentant.  There seems to be, increasingly, an uneven, one-sided application of justice in our country, a "misapplication of grace".  Those who are of a certain political persuasion or social class or of "greater value to society" are apparently "above the law".

This misapplication of grace is rather prevalent in our country.  Admittedly, it is a conundrum.  As a parent, for instance, it is very hard to know when it is best to hold our children responsible for bad decisions and when to "rescue" them, when to give grace.

For some, the story of Onesimus rankles.  It bothers them that this thief is being "let off the hook". To them, Onesimus will always be defined in light of his mistake; he will always be viewed a thief.  Of course, we do not know all the details of the story.  We do know this, though, that Paul is requesting
a.  to pay the debt Onesimus owes his master, Philemon
b.  that Philemon treat the returning Onesimus as a brother in Christ, as opposed to merely a slave.

The entire book of Philemon is a picture of God's grace to each of us.  The heart of the letter is love, the "law of God the Son".  Paul, here, represents our Triune God.  Onesimus represents every repentant sinner. Philemon represents the Church.

1.  Paul represents God.
He does not force Philemon to accept Onesimus although, with apostolic authority he could have ordered Philemon to obey.  Paul instead reminds Philemon that it was through Paul's ministry he was led to Christ.  He appeals to Philemon on the basis of love.  Father God treats us the same way.  He does not force.  He invites.   He appeals.  He beseeches.
Paul also represents the Father in that he pays the price Onesimus owes (vs. 18-19), just as Jesus Christ, God the Son, did for us.

2.   Onesimus represents slaves like we (are/were).
He had gotten himself into a situation from which he was unable to free himself. He owed a debt he could not pay.  In trying to fix his own situation, he only made it worse.  However, upon hearing the gospel from Paul (which is not to say he had not already heard it in Philemon's household), he accepted God's "fix", God's solution to his sin problem...salvation through grace/faith in Jesus Christ.
So, Onesimus is not being "let off the hook".  Rather, a tremendous price was paid by God to "make things right" for him positionally and eternally, the price of God's own Son.  Being accepted in Christ does not automatically free the new believer of the consequences of sin here on Earth, as we all know. Physical scars remain.  Nor does salvation cause us to never sin again in this world.  Sin ever seeks to again enslave us, pursuing us as a cheetah pursues a gazelle.

3.  Philemon represents the Church, the brotherhood of the saints.  Oh how hard it is to model ourselves after the character of God, according to His Holy Spirit who lives within us!  Perhaps Philemon struggled with this as well.  Satan tempts us to deal with each other harshly and with an unforgiving spirit.  Again, the key here is that Onesimus was a changed person, a repentant brother in Christ.  Nowhere in Scripture is the covering-over of sin applauded. This letter is not advocating overlooking sin or condoning a lack of confession or repentance. True restoration must contain those elements before restorative grace can be applied to one another and fellowship reaffirmed.
May we never be a Church that defines repentant sinners in light of their sins.  Instead, may we "remember them against them no more" (Isaiah 43:25; Hebrews 8:12)

I am reading a book that contrasts the Muslim faith with the Christian.1  The writer, a former devout Muslim, now a devout Christian, points out that Muslims struggle mightily with the concept of the Christian God's grace.  It is totally foreign to them.  "Why obey if you are already forgiven everything?"  The Christian's answer:  the law of love.  He/she who has been forgiven much, loves much.  (Luke 7:47)

The Bible does not tell us whether or not Philemon received the transformed Onesimus as he would receive Paul, who led the both of them to faith in Christ.  But, I imagine he did.  May we do the same.

Father God, I have so much for which to be forgiven, day in and day out.  But, I marvel at Your eternal grace, which has covered all my sin.  I pray that I may never make you ashamed of the grace You so lavishly poured out on me.  May I be even more emboldened and empowered to share that message of grace with others, who don't yet know You, who so desperately need to hear it, who so deeply desire to turn from their sins and find their eternal salvation (their soul's rest) in You.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

1   Qureshi, Nabeel (2016). No God but one: Allah or Jesus?: A former Muslim investigates the evidence for Islam and Christianity.  Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

 

Strength and Glory

With some degree of humor and amazement I often discover that wherever I am in my study of the Scriptures, God asks me to "live it out" in my daily life.  That place is now at one of the most often-quoted Scriptures ever, Philippians 4:13, 20 (NET) - - -

13  I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me.

20  May glory be given to God our Father forever and ever. Amen.

Verse 13 has spawned such platitudes as, "If He called you to it, He'll bring you through it," which...depends on what you mean by "through it".  Jim Elliott, who was killed by native peoples in the jungles of Ecuador, while there to spread the gospel, was taken on to Heaven, after all.

Between verses 13 and 20 Paul is speaking to the Philippians further about more mundane and logistical matters, culminating in the lovely promise of verse 19.

So, if God leads us to a difficult task, will He see us through it?  Will He give us the strength to complete the task?  What about when the task appears to be a failure?  What about then?

Verse 13 is a comfort to me, and especially so this week and next.  Both weeks present entirely different challenges, all of which I believe God has called me to.  But, last night, as I lay sleepless at (and after) 1:00 a.m., I prayed, "Lord, I cannot get through these next 11 days alone.  If you don't help and strengthen me, I won't make it."   The Power Principle here is to not depend on our own paltry "strength", but to tap into and rely on His.

My situations over the next few days are "episodic".  By the end of next week, things should have "settled down".  Some of you are in long-term crises, such as caring for a chronically sick spouse. My second cousin died last week of ALS.  Over the past year, her husband was in a long-term crisis of care for her as her health precipitously declined.  These situations require God's supernatural strength as well.

But, really, should we not be living this way, even in the day-to-day and seemingly hum-drum?  My friend was telling me that she asked God yesterday for something mundane, and then felt guilty for it because she didn't need to "bother" Him with something so ... plain.  But, our God of the Glorious and Stupendous is also the God of the Smalls.  He comes to us in the cataclysms as well as in the quiet.  He is concerned with every, "minor" detail of our lives, and wants to be God of all, every single iota.  He loves for His children to ask!  And, His gifts are there for the asking and taking. What

The reason I was meditating on verse 13 as well as verse 20 is that, often, these critical situations to which God calls us, these challenges, were not in our plan, the short-term or the long-term.  But, they were in God's plan, the overall plan which will bring Him glory.  Earlier, Paul was talking about being in need and being in abundance.  In both situations, he had learned to be content because, in the tough times, he leaned on Christ's strength as sustenance and as power source.  And, he KNEW that whatever befell him, it was for the glory of God.

When, as Christians, we combine these two scriptural truths, we are then allowing ourselves to be used mightily for the kingdom of Jesus Christ, during our time here on earth.

Paul's final word in Philippians is "Amen", a word which means, "let it be so".  It is a word which aligns our will with Father's will, a word which signifies agreement, between Christians who pray corporately and between child and Father, in individual prayer.

May His will, whatever it entails, be worked out in each of the lives of His own beloved, as He gives us His strength to accomplish it.  And, may all the glory for His work in our lives be given to God the Father, forever and ever.

Amen.

Stoned! Laws and Invitations

Good morning,

Well, there they are, in the original .... At this point, I sort of derailed this morning.  I went on a search to determine if The 10 were written in Hebrew or in Aramaic.  The answers I found were surprising.  I'm sure it's not a burning question, but I'll just remark on it briefly.  The 10 were not written in Hebrew (until the Old Testament was compiled), nor Aramaic (my second guess).  They were most likely written in either Egyptian or in a pre-Hebrew pictorial language called Ktav Ivri. Ok, enough about that!  If you want to research it further or to enlighten me, go ahead, lol!  I reserve the right to be wrong about this!

At any rate, Ann's Advent devotional for Dec. 10th centers around The Law, of which the 10 Commandments was the "cornerstone", if you will pardon the pun.  Jesus referred to Himself as the Chief Cornerstone ("the stone the builders rejected") in Matthew 21:42.  Paul referred to Him by this title in Acts 4:11, and both were quoting Psalm 118:22. 

There is an inescapable part of human nature that longs for God, because we are made in His image. There is also our "sin nature", which causes us to want to rebel against Him and seek our own ways. With rules, some find comfort in them, while others are repulsed by them.  I'm in the former category, and some of my loved ones are most definitely in the latter.  That's not a judgmental statement, just a statement of fact that we are all unique.  Some of us tend toward the former and others toward the latter.  One predisposition is not better than the other.  The pitfall for rule-followers is that we begin to trust in the rules, which leads to legalism and pride over our ability to adhere to a set of commands.  The pitfall for the renegades is that they, too, are puffed up with self-love, loving the ability to choose their own way.

We were and are a messed up, stony-hearted people!  As Elyse M. Fitzpatrick put it:

"I am more sinful and flawed than I ever dared believe, more loved and welcomed than I ever dared hope."

Amen and amen!

It's funny, really.  God gave us 10 laws.  "Just 10 things...just attend to these 10 things!"  We couldn't even do that!  SMH...

What folks miss about the 10 and about the Law as a whole is that God gave them to us out of love for us.  Basically, the Mosaic Law is a set of governing principles which, if we follow them, will allow us to experience life here on earth with a minimum of disease, peril and harm to others.  But, more importantly, all of the last nine flow from the first commandment:  "You shall not worship anything or anyone other than Me.  You shall have no other gods before me."  The first commandment was about relationship, our relationship with the God who loves us, chases us, carries us, changes us.  If that relationship was/is right, all other 9 commandments and particulars of Mosaic law were/are not so burdensome.  

When we make ourselves god and pursue our own paths, we are violating the first commandment. Then, every bit of the rest "goes to pot".  This is the story of mankind, over and over and over.  The story of God's love and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that the God who IS love pursues us over and over and over.  Precisely because we were unable to meet His perfect standard of holiness, precisely because we find ourselves dashed and broken against those stone tablets, our loving God kept His own law for us, in the Person of His Son, the Chief Stone.

Jesus is the Stone who breaks the stone tablets into pieces and while fulfilling every iota of that Law, gives us a new one, the Law of Love, a covenant TO love.  It was all about love anyway.  We just didn't see it.

"Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!"

Deut. 5:29

The anguished cry of Perfect Love, longing for His fallen creation.  He calls us still.  His heart ever longs for ours.

Surprisingly, our Lord's first invitation is to rest in Him, to find ourselves completed in Him.  Some of the most beautiful words in the Bible are these:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.

Matthew 11:28-29

Hallelujah!  Because He has fulfilled God's "impossible" requirements, our souls can rest in what He has done for us.

Another time He said this:

"Abide in me, and I in you."

John 15:4

This is an invitation to walk through this life in the realm of God.  It is what the psalmist meant when he wrote:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High 

            Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

Psalm 91:1

Jesus longs to be our heart's permanent home, our forever residence so He can show us that every longing of the human heart finds its fulfillment in Him.

Jesus's third invitation to us is "follow Him", to be His willing servant in the carrying of the gospel to the whole world.

"Follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people!"  

Mark 1:17

What an amazing life purpose, a mind-blowing opportunity - - to share Jesus's life-giving message of grace with this beaten-down, broken-hearted world!  There is no better life, than eternal life in Him.

Lord Jesus, you call me to be Your very own, and despite my frequent wandering, your love call persists.  You never give up on me, on us.  Your love is everlasting.  Praise be to the One who paid my debt and raised my life up from the dead: Jesus!  In Whose name I pray, amen.  

Sources:

Voskamp, Ann. The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas. December 10. Print.

http://www.antiquityart.com/the-ten-commandments-in-an-ancient-hebrew-script

http://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/may-2012/the-three-invitations-of-christ/

His Greatest Creation

Good morning,

We read in Genesis 1:26-27 that, after creating this world, the Three-in-One decided to create mankind, a being unlike any other created thing, living or inanimate.  Mankind was the crowning touch of God's creation, the grand finale, a unique, mysterious "likeness" of God.  The writer of Ecclesiastes 3:11 proclaims that He "set eternity in the human heart".

God's desire was not for angels to rule over the rest of His creation, Earth.  It was for man to rule and reign over this planet.  But, beyond that, we see in Revelation 4:11 mankind was created, indeed all things/beings were created, for His good pleasure.  We read about Adam and Eve and God walking together in the Garden of Eden, having a kind of fellowship that we, in our fallen world, cannot yet know.  This demonstrates that we were created for intimate fellowship with God, to commune with Him, spirit to Spirit.

Even as he created our kind, though, He in His sovereignty knew His heart's desire would be thwarted by Adam and Eve's free will.  He knew that man would become trapped by the snares of the enemy. He knew, all Three knew, what sacrifice would be required to restore this fallen, human creation.

So, the love story of Christmas did not begin with Jesse or with David.  It began the moment we were conceived in the matchless mind of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The writer of Ecclesiastes goes on to say (3:11b): "no one can fathom what God has done, from beginning to end."  He is beyond our human comprehension.

Ann asks what causes us to pause in wonder.  This.

My friend, as I write tonight, is giving birth to a baby boy.  What joy!  A new life begins, with all its hopes and dreams and promises.  Our joy at the birth of our children is slight, when compared to the love and joy that sprang in the heart of the Godhead and spawned our race, all those eons ago.

Still, what God would decide to create a race of beings who He knew, They KNEW, would break their hearts?  They knew that the Son would be required to "empty Himself, taking the form of a servant, and being born in the likeness of man" (Philippians 2:7).  And, if that weren't enough, because that was NOT enough to restore us, to pay the penalty for our sin, They knew that He would wear that cloak of flesh for 33 years, before submitting Himself to the most shameful of deaths.

All for love, of us, of me.  Incomprehensible, unimaginable love, divine love beyond all human understanding!

The Giving Grace

Good morning,

Do you remember as a child being forced to say "I'm sorry" to your sibling, and not meaning it at all? I do!  Saying "I'm sorry" through clenched teeth, with squinty eyes is (hello!) not genuine, is it?  We know that, because of our personal experience and also because of dealing with children, if you have had that experience.  Usually, the misbehavior that prompted the "I'm sorry" soon recurs.  Why does this happen?  It happens because the repentance was not genuine!

We are moving on to 2 Cor. 8, giving just a love pat to the rest of chapter 7.  The remainder of that chapter dealt with a mysterious, lost letter that Paul wrote to the Corinthians.  I've mentioned it in previous blog posts.  All we know about it comes from Paul's references to it in 2 Corinthians. The letter was very strong in its corrective language and intended to deal with a particular situation in that local church.  I reckon God did not intend for us to be privy to it.  The letter was hand-delivered by Titus, who worked with that local church to not only deliver its contents, but to exhort the Corinthians to repentance and restoration.  Paul rejoices in 7:8-16 that all of this was accomplished.

 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

2 Cor. 7:10  (NKJV)

The Corinthians had "godly sorrow", which is true regret for their individual and corporate sins; and then, they repented.  Paul points out that godly sorrow always leads to repentance, a change of heart and behavior.  Without both, there is no salvation.  Just praying a little prayer and walking the aisle....unh-uh.  No. There has to be a genuine desire from the heart for Christ, a true belief in Him. Only then does He save.

In chapter 8, where we are digging in this morning, Paul goes on to say that Titus had another assignment for his visit to the Corinthians.  It was to teach them about the grace of giving.  Look at 8:1-9.

Now we make known to you, brothers and sisters, the grace of God given to the churches of Macedonia, 2 that during a severe ordeal of suffering, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in the wealth of their generosity. 3 For I testify, they gave according to their means and beyond their means. They did so voluntarily, 4 begging us with great earnestness for the blessing and fellowship of helping the saints. 5 And they did this not just as we had hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us by the will of God. 6 Thus we urged Titus that, just as he had previously begun this work, so also he should complete this act of kindness for you. 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you—make sure that you excel in this act of kindness too. 8 I am not saying this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love by comparison with the eagerness of others.9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty could become rich. 

(NET)

There's a reason Paul segues into giving here.  Giving flows from joy, and joy is the result of repentance, confession, restoration.  Have you ever thought of Christian "charity" (giving) as a grace? The Bible declares that it is!  It is a grace much disparaged and maligned.  Satan uses greed as one of his best offensive weapons in the Church.  Greed creeps in and soils the beauty of genuine Christian giving.

When I was on mission in Peru recently, I heard our pastor ask the leader of a local Peruvian ministry if he had taught his people about the grace of giving.  I was sort of shocked by that, at the time.  Of all the things I expected him to emphasize teaching, giving would have been on down that list a ways, not at the top.  Yet, his admonition followed the New Testament model Paul builds here.  Let's break it down:

• In verse 5 we see that the grace of giving overflows from a heart devoted to the Lord and to the carrying out of His will.  
• Paul cites as an example of this heart attitude the churches of Macedonia who, in spite of their suffering and poverty had also overflowed with generosity and acts of kindness. (vs. 1-5)
• More than that, Paul references the ultimate Giver, Jesus Christ (vs. 9), whose grace compelled Him to leave Heaven's glory, wrap Himself in flesh and ultimately pour His physical, human life out for us so that we might receive salvation, with all its riches and benefits.

We can parse and debate and argue about how much to give to the Lord, but why?  I believe that the Old Testament model of 10% is a good start.  But, I don't think we should be restricted to that.  After all, we are no longer under law, but are under grace!  (Romans 6:14) If the Lord's Spirit prompts us to give more, we should.  We should be known as people who give generously.

Now, I know that you think this is talking about your money, and in this context of 2 Cor. 8, it is. But, God does not only want our money; it all belongs to Him anyway.  More than that, He wants our hearts.  Truly, if He has our hearts, he will have our money too.  This is why Jesus said, 

"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."   But, wait, look at that larger passage, Luke 12:32-34 - - -

32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Beautiful, isn't it?  And, oh so true.  We already have in our possession, Christian, all of the spiritual possessions of God's kingdom!  Our true treasure is in Heaven, not here on earth.  All of our earthly possessions are designed to further the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ - - - nothing more, nothing less.  When we really "get" this, it transforms our lives and the lives of others.  It's pretty radical living, honestly.

Lord God, King of the Universe, Creator and Giver of all good things, teach us the grace of giving. May we be known as people who give as generously as Christ gave.  It is in His name I pray, amen.

Mylanta Darlings

Good morning,

So here we are at 1 Corinthians 13, what the apostle Paul called at the end of chapter 12 "a more excellent way".  He urges us in verses 1-3 to give love the preeminence.

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body [a]to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

In other words, instead of fixating on this spiritual gift or that one, focus on love. After all, Jesus said, "by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35).

Whole books have been written about this one chapter of the Bible!  There is so much wisdom here. This chapter is ultra-important because "love" is often misunderstood and the term so frequently misapplied.  Fortunately, if you wonder "Is this love?", you can measure it by the standard in 1 Cor. 13.

This past week a group from my church was involved in sharing love with a young person, although she did not recognize it as such.  There are times when love does not seem .... well, "loving".  Love does not rejoice in sin or unrighteousness (vs. 6).  Instead, love seeks the truth, promotes the truth, speaks the truth.  Sometimes, that is not well-received.  There are times when, "love must be tough".  Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, wrote a landmark book with this very title.

Tough love is not legalism or self-righteous condemnation of another.  Rather, it is knowing the right way and urging, exhorting others to walk in it.   One of the reasons this is so unpopular today is that truth and love are inexorably linked!  One cannot exist without the other. Yet, in our American culture, it is deemed impolite to take a stand for truth.  "How dare you tell me how to live my life?!" is the mantra of modern American culture.

In response to this, we who know the Truth, we the Light-Bearers, we the Salt of the Earth frequently cower and shrink and back-pedal our testimony.  That is not love, Friends.  That is spiritual cowardice.

Of course, we must be sensitive to the Spirit in how we communicate Jesus Christ's exclusive message of love and truth.  We must not run rough-shod over people and piously proclaim, "Well, you certainly needed to hear THAT!"  No, that is not the Christian way either.

4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails;

Nothing challenges our belief in love more keenly than our closest personal relationships - - - our family.  Nothing has tested my understanding of love as much as being a mother of two rowdy, headstrong boys.  My husband is easy to love; he is a dream!  That is because he is one of the most unselfish, loving people I have ever known.  My teenage boys, on the other hand ... "Oh Mylanta!", as the saying goes!  Pass the antacid!

We all, at some time, have a Mylanta Darlin' in our lives.

Bears all things,

Believes all things,

Hopes all things,

Endures all things,

Love never fails.

Isn't that how God deals with us, His children?  Oh, the beauty of His perfect love, His agape love!  I figure I'm His "Mylanta Darlin'" each and every day.  Still, at the moment the foundations of the world were laid, He made the decision to pour Himself out for me, broken and spilled out, dead, buried and resurrected, and now reigning with the Father....all for me.  He calls me to pour myself out for others in that same way.

"By THIS all men will know"....

Loving Heavenly Father, you KNOW that I have not mastered this.  Please forgive me for how often I fall short, especially in the area of "believing all things" that are true, in holding fast to Your faithful promises.  Give me that perfect love, that love that never fails, so that "all men will know".  In Jesus' name, amen.

Not All Smiles

Good morning,

Not all smiles are created equal.  Last night, I saw a Facebook meme in which a woman is smiling while holding a sign that says, "My abortion was fabulous.  Thanks."

Sorry, I'm not buying it.

Although each of us is born a sinner, we are made in the image of God.  It goes against the image of God for a person to enjoy murder.  For that reason, I believe that people who appear to rejoice in their sin repeatedly are either "faking it" (their joy) or they have had their consciences deeply scarred.

In 1 Timothy 4:2, Paul describes this as follows:

Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

When this type of spiritual scarring happens, it results from repeated acts of evil by the person him/herself or because evil has been repeatedly perpetrated upon a person, so that they see no other course of action but to "reproduce" what they have known.  In many such cases, the desperate one is so deceived that he or she is totally out of touch with his or her pain.  That is how deeply it is buried.

So, no, not all smiles are equal.  Sometimes, a smile is an act of defiance, a deliberate attempt to camouflage the deepest agonies of the soul.

But, as long as there is physical life, there is hope.
There is grace greater than all my sin, your sin...anyone's sin, everyone's sin.
The blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse and restore even the vilest of sinners.

I don't know what all the crimes were, ascribed to the thief who hung beside Jesus on the cross. (Luke 23:40-43) The Bible does not elaborate.  But, I do know that Jesus heard his dying plea and rescued his soul right there on the spot.  Such is the grace and mercy of our Savior.

Christian, when you see things like that meme, does your heart break?  Our hearts often hurt when we see a young child fighting cancer, or someone with a physical deformity, or even an animal about to be "put down".  But, when we see someone with a sickness unto spiritual death, our reaction is often animosity or, worse, indifference.

"Oh, WE don't do that?!"

Really?  Take a look:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1004775329542529&set=gm.1046566905388605&type=1&theater

Did you read the comments people had made?  I wonder how many of them would call themselves Christians?

Imitation - - - Paul exhorted the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 11:1 to imitate him because he imitated Christ.  And, that is God's scriptural command to us today, via the apostle Paul.  The dictionary defines the word "imitate" as: to model oneself on, to copy, to echo.
What do you think Jesus' response would have been to this woman in the picture?  Would He have called her names like, "killbilly" or "it"?  Would He have said she made him "barf"?  Would He have thanked her for killing her baby?

Those Facebook comments don't echo the truth of Jesus, His righteousness and His love, with that woman or others like her.  Those comments reek of self-righteous hatred.

Do we really believe that what we say we believe is really real?  Do we?
Do we have any INKLING of the extent of the love of Jesus?
Do we really believe that Jesus paid it ALL, that He can save "even the least of these"?
That was me - - - "the least of these".  That was you too, if He has saved your soul.
And, He died for this woman in the picture, as well as billions more like her, with all their sin wounds, with all their pain, with all their fake smiles.

Do we really believe that what we say we believe is really real?  Do we?
If we do, what are we going to do about it?
Are we going to imitate Christ, whose name we bear?

Lord God, when you say that your Word is alive, and powerful, and sharper than any double-edged sword, (Hebrews 4:12) I think that this is what you mean.  Imitating my Savior, at all times....I don't do that.  Your Word is so challenging, so convicting to me that it often feels like a scalpel cutting the rot out of my soul.  Help me, Holy Spirit, please help me model my life after His.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Additional Source:
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=imitate%20definition