“For to me, to
live is Christ and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21).
What or who are you
living for? Many live for their families, some live for their work, while
others live for their recreations, or other things. As Christians, we are
called to live for Christ. Unfortunately, there are many who claim to live for
Christ and believe that they are doing His will by saying and doing things in a
very unbiblical manor.
In John 8, we find the
story of a woman who was caught in the act of adultery being brought to Jesus
by some religious leaders. These religious leaders asked Jesus what they should
do to the woman since the Old Testament law commanded that she should be stoned
to death for her sin. Rightfully the woman should have died for her sin.
However, that was not how Jesus responded. Instead, Jesus responded with no
condemnation. He accepted her as a person, and then basically told her that He
wanted more for her by telling her to leave her life of sin (8:11).
The response that Jesus
offers each one of us is the same as that of the adulterous woman in John 8. He
extended grace and mercy towards her. He loved her. He sought to lead her to a
better life that God desires for each person—better than anyone of us could
ever ask for or imagine (Eph. 3:20). Jesus responded in this same way to all of
those who were far from God. The only individuals whom Jesus responded harshly
to were the religious leaders; thus, those who should have known better.
God calls all of us as
Christians to respond in the same way. He has given each one of us as
Christians a calling that is worth living for. It is a call of loving others
regardless of the sins that the struggle with, regardless of their religious
affiliations, regardless of who they voted for, regardless of their sexual
preferences, etc.
Loving others does not
mean that we approve of their actions. But it means that we see them as having
great value: as people made in the image of God, and whom Jesus died for. There
are seeds of greatness inside every person as God is the creator of us all.
And God calls us to
extend grace to all people. As a church, and as a representative of Eugene
Christian Church, I want you to know that we are here for you, we care for you,
and want to help you to navigate through life-following the path that will lead
to the best possible life, the life that God always intended you to live.
Why do I say all of
these things to you? I do so because someone else was willing to do the same
things for me. And as I began to follow Christ, I discovered a life worth
living. And we as a church would like to help you find it as well.
So may the Lord bless
you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. And may
the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace (Num. 6:24-26 NLT).
In His service,
Matt
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