Our perspectives...

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It happens all the time...

Your light has just changed to green when somebody going "the other way" runs the red, and narrowly misses turning your vehicle into an accordion...

What is your reaction?

On a busy street, in a school zone, you see an SUV swerving all over the place, and going at least 15mph over the posted speed limit. As it passes, you see the driver is busy texting...

"What a stupid idiot!" you think out loud.

A very young child is playing in a busy street, but, where are the parents?

You read in the paper that some nut set his clothes on fire, and burned his belly, while trying to get his barbecue pit started.

You're shopping at the local Stuff-Mart, and somebody has her purse stolen. As it turns out, she left it in the basket seat while she was trying on clothes...

Every day, we are amazed at the foolish things people regularly do without thinking of the consequences. Quite often, our response is, "What an idiot!"

Jesus did have something to say about our reactions, and it isn't what most people expect, either! "Ye have heard it said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Ra-ca, shall be in danger of the counsel: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother has ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come offer thy gift." (Mat 5:21-24)kjv

You see, the commandment says "Do not kill," but it means more than just that. We must also not belittle others, even in our own minds, by thinking them to be fools or idiots. If we find ourselves reacting in this manner, we are supposed to ask forgiveness of those about whom we find ourselves feeling superior! You should not even give your offering at church until you've made peace with these folks!

"But, why?" you ask. Actually, Jesus has explained this to us, as well...

"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye meet, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam that is in thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." (Mat 7:1-5)kjv

Jesus spelled it out for us. Not one of us is good enough to look with disdain on others! We all have our faults, but He died for each one of us, anyway!

You...
...me...
......everyone, even the worst mass-murderer in history!

So, who are we to judge?

Is He only your "SPARE TIRE?"

Every day I see a lot of folks driving who have no concerns about everyone and everything else. They speed, refuse to use signals, tailgate and cut you off with reckless abandon. All too often they are driving an SUV or other large vehicle, so that in the event of an "accident," they will be safe, even if you aren't.

A lot of us treat God with similar contempt. We careen through life, often narrowly avoiding one spiritual disaster after another, confident that He will save us in the nick of time. After all, Jesus is our "spare tire," and we've got Him in the trunk! When the "blowout" occurs, we just pull over, and it is "Jesus to the rescue!"

Is this what God wants from us? We are told, "Cling tightly to your faith in Christ and always keep your conscience clear, doing what you know is right. For some people have disobeyed their consciences and have deliberately done what they knew was wrong. It isn't surprising that soon they lost their faith in Christ after defying God like that." 1TIM 1:19

...and, "You must love the Lord your God and obey every one of His commands. Listen! I am not talking now to your children who have never experienced the Lord's punishments or seen His greatness and His awesome power." DEUT 11:1-2

...also, "Must God tailor His justice to your demands? Must He change the order of the universe to suit your whims? The answer must be obvious even to you!" JOB 34:33

...finally, "For I have told you often before, and I say it again now with tears in my eyes, there are many who walk along the Christian road who are really enemies of the cross of Christ. Their future is eternal loss, for they are proud of what they should be ashamed of; and all they think about is this life here on earth." PHLP 3:18-19 (all quotes TLB)

Get Jesus out of your trunk! He is not the "band-aid" to fix our "ouchies," nor the "spare tire" to fix our "judgment errors!"

Put Him in charge of your life!

Until we meet again, in Paradise!

Mr Mike