I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy, I pour out my complaint before Him;
Before Him I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint within me, it is You who knows my way.
(Psalm 142:1-3)

This was a cry for help by King David. A man who loved God deeply. A man who got himself into a lot of trouble because of his own sins A man who murdered, committed adultery, had a lust problem, was not a very good father to his children and was a known liar. David's lying caused 70 priests to be slaughtered. He also planned the death of a man so that he could have that man's wife, which he succeeded in doing. David was a mess and his children were a mess.

David's son, Amnon, raped his half-sister, Tamar. David was angry, but did not punish Amnon for this. David's other son, Absalom killed Amnon for what he did, but David did not punish Absalom for this, either. Absalom turned against his father, King David, and drove him into the desert, then tried to take David's life.

The most famous son of King David was Solomon. When David died and Solomon became king, God made him the wisest and richest man in the world, but King Solomon, too, kept the family's sins going. He built his palace twice the size of the Lord's temple and against God's command, he had 300 concubines and 700 wives which led Solomon far from God. He set his mind to out-do everyone, and in the process, he did not make God the center of his life. Because of his sin, his kingdom came crashing down.

"The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord's command. So the Lord said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David, your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son..."
(I Kings 11:9-12)

The Word of God is full of people with problems. The apostle Paul was a mass murderer of Christians when God called him, but God had better plans for this violent man . . . Paul became one of the greatest apostles that ever lived.

John the Baptist became unsure of Jesus. He baptized Jesus and even pronounced him the Son of God, but when he was in prison, he sent his disciples to confirm whether Jesus was the true Messiah.

The apostle John was nicknamed "Son of Thunder."  He had an angry personality, was self-centered and jealous. He insisted on the best seat in the Kingdom of Heaven for himself. During Jesus' ministry, John wanted to call down fire from Heaven to destroy an angry and sinful town. But Jesus changed him and by the time John died, he was known as "The Apostle of Love."

One psalmist of the Old Testament had so much hate for his enemy that he implies very strongly that he wishes God would bless anyone that bashes a Babylonian's baby's brains out. (Psalm 137:8-9)

The condition of their heart and their way of life was no different than it is today, and yet God still draws people to Him. Only He knows who will come and who won't. It is God's command and our duty in Christ to love and not to bash or condemn. Leave the just rewards for God when His day comes. He is the only Righteous One. Only He can judge the heart.

Do you know of someone who's way of life is shocking to you? Maybe the things they say, the people they sleep with, their addictions, or their habits?  Do you love them so much that you would die for them? Jesus did. Were your sins any less before God called you? I doubt they were. . . .

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23).
"Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before You." (Psalm 143:2)

Love the sinner. Stop bashing them. It is not up to us to slam a mallet over their heads. Jesus did not do it and neither should we. The ones He had the most difficult time with were the religious leaders. The 'self-righteous ones'. Those that spent their time condemning others for the way they live. Just like many of us Christians do today.

Jesus did not love the sin, but loved the sinner. He held them in His arms, cried over them, healed them, ate with them, laughed with them, slept in their homes, prayed with them, raised them from the dead, instructed them and spent many days, weeks, and years with them, knowing full well what their private lives were like. Ultimately, He died for them.

"As it is written: None is righteous, no, not one. No one understands. No one seeks for God. All have turned aside. Together they have gone wrong. No one does good, not even one." (Romans 3:10-12)

"But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God." (Romans 14:10)

So before you begin to feel righteous about yourself, understand that believers are known as a germ, an outcast, a part of what the world has thrown away. We are a peculiar people. All of us are in the same family of 'cast-off material.' Without God, we are nothing. With God, there is hope for us. Remember what Paul said. . . "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the things which are mighty, and base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yes, and things which are not, to bring to naught the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His Presence" (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

"Judge not, and you will not be judged. Condemn not, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven...for with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you." (Luke 6:37-38)

We have enough of our own sins and habits to deal with, and besides, God's destiny for us is not based on the foundation of our failures (yours or someone else's). So before you snub your nose at others for the things they do or the way they live, remember that only He knows who will come to Him when called and who won't. That same person you judge might one day be kneeling before God thanking Him for their place in heaven....your brother or sister in Christ for an Eternity. So be careful. . . . God is listening.                

© Copyright Cheryl Taul    
April 20, 2005

* Some notes taken from Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford
from NIV Student Bible.  Published by Zondervan Bible Publishers