We Are All Flawed

The last few weeks I've been going through a time of weeding out some things in my heart, and growing forth in my relationships with the Lord and my family.  Its uncomfortable sometimes, but its always for our good, and the end result is worth it.

I think I'd gotten comfortable in where I was at, and I'd gone through a year or so of discouragement in some areas, but that discouragement spilled over into other areas and I was unaware.

We are all flawed humans, and without Jesus redeeming us, and placing his righteousness on us, we'd have no hope.

 I think that for too long, the church put forth an ideal of how Christians should be, and we all tried so hard to live up to that ideal.  But there is no 'perfect' people.  I think we need to show that we fail sometimes, but that we have a savior to forgive us and help us, and isn't that where 'be ready to share the hope that is in you' comes in to action?  No one is going to ask us about our hope, if they think we've got it all together and they'll never be able to live up to that.

 Christians have gotten a bad reputation because so many of us act so pious and above sin, that when believers fall (and the s*x scandals and bullying pastors, etc, show how spectacularly we can fall), people who do not believe scoff and mock.

When the woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus by the religious leaders, he didn't say she didn't sin, in fact he told her to go and sin no more.  However, he did challenge the religious leaders and their actions toward her.

Wrong does need to be dealt with, sometimes that means the law gets involved.  Sometimes it means that people need to believe accusers.  Sometimes it means that an elder needs to be strong and stand up to a strong personality pastor, regardless of the consequences to his position in the church.

God isn't worried about his reputation.  He isn't trying to prove to the unbelieving world that he is good.  God is good, and he wants to use us to be his hands and feet and arms and to be love in the world.  

Life is short.  Let's live in love for one another, lets help our neighbors, love those who are hard to love.  We all have them in our lives.  Loving someone doesn't mean you have to approve of their actions or choices, but that you continue to pray for them and care for them.