Refined by Fire

The creative energy that perfunctorily comes from Madison Ave is positively mindboggling. The abundance and flow of the characters I’ve been coming across this past year has me enamored at times.

The lifestyles of these folks, however, are not the choices I would encourage someone to make: Many smoke and drink, and revel in their drunkenness. Many of the men glorify porn. Most use sex to sell in some capacity. And often they tempt the unfortunate to purchase that which they cannot afford. And the list goes on…

Now, I don’t dispute religious issues because having a relationship with God is not something to argue about, but this week, I almost got into a bit a theological debate with a colleague and it got me thinking…. and convicted.

My point is that even in these dark cultures, we have no place to judge. We have no idea what’s truly going on inside these people’s hearts. As followers of Christ, we are no better and cannot condemn anyone for their lifestyle choices. We’re all sinners. God Loves them just as much as He Loves His followers. Recall, or if you don’t know, God still loved us while we were sinners. So much so, he died for us. Roman 5:8

I’m drawing attention to this because there are Christians out here who condemn and judge those who have the lifestyles mentioned above; however, we are no better and it’s not our place. So, if you’re a believer, consider those words from Romans (and these from Ephesians) before you condemn people for their behavior. God did not die for us in vein. He made the impact that He did so that we could have His word in our hearts and we would have love and pray for others.

If you’re reading this and you’re not a believer you may be wondering what the heck this crazy born-again is talking about, but it’s true: God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth does love you, He does desire to have a relationship with you, and He does have a specific plan for your life. You and your life only. Ask Him about it, He’ll tell you. ;-)