[this is taken from a previous entry, but it is something I still think about even today] It is an aged old story and it's echoing over and over again. A person (we'll call him Bob) grows up in a church or a Christian family and professes to believe Christ. Someone in the religion of Christianity does something absolutely against Christ and his teachings and now Bob is confused. Everything that Bob has learnt in church and with his family is being torn down. Bob then decides that Christianity is not what it's chalked up to be and walks away.
I guess my question in this situation is what is Bob really walking away from? Is Bob walking away from God? Or is Bob just walking away from his religion? If Bob is just walking away from his religion, then I wonder, did Bob have God in the first place?
No man knows the heart of another man, however, God knows our hearts and he knows whether or not we truly believe in him, or whether we believe because we were told to believe.
Looking to another human as the source of your beliefs is never going to work. Even David, the man after God's own heart, made some huge mistakes in his life, it does not mean he was not redeemed when he repented. However, I'm sure if David was a popular modern day preacher there may have been some people who might have turned away after David made his mistakes.
If Man is our source for understanding who God is then we will always be turning away since Man will always fails us. If God is the source for understanding who God is then we will never turn away from him because why would we taste his goodness and turn away? God does not let man down, man lets man down.
We are told not to judge others because the same measure we're using to judge others will be used on us. It's a very frightening thing for me because if I look at my fellow man when they do wrong and say, "wow, they are hypocrites" then that same measure will be used for me. I am not "better" than anyone else, it is not my place to judge their actions. I have a life of my own to live and look after so why look at the other person's and have their life determine mine?
Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we
not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out
demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell
them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you
evildoers!' Matthew 7:22-23 [NIV]
[image from postsecrets.com]
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