It is easy if we do not love our neighbour, to start looking at their faults. The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. We should not be like the Pharisees, who did not emphasise love for their enemies, but were just looking to find out, what Jesus was not doing right, trying to find fault with him, although, it was never possible and never could be, to find fault, with the Son of God, who is perfect and Almighty God, who does not make a mistake.
May God help us not to be like the Pharisees who broke all records of fault finding, and be like Jesus, who loved, despite of the sinful state of human beings, by being a friend of sinners. You see, God does not like, some of the things we do, which are not appropriate according to his standards, but he still loves us, and has forgiven us in Jesus. Love is fault blind, meaning it goes over the shortcomings and mistakes of people. That is why Jesus said that he is interested in mercy for people, and not sacrifice. There was an occasion, when some of the disciples of Jesus, wanted to call fire to fall from heaven, and to burn some people, who were around them. But Jesus did not approve that. All that those disciples could see at that time, was the mistakes of those people, and they could not see further than that, but Jesus did see further, and wanted mercy for those people, and not to make them like a burning sacrifice or kill them. He came to give people life, and was the friend of sinners. When we concentrate on the shortcomings and sins of people around us, we become blind to the good in them, and we become love blind, instead of being fault blind. God wants us to be more fault blind and not love blind, because he is Love, and because that is why he sent his Son Jesus, to die for sinners, and call them to salvation, and not to kill them. God always desires mercy before looking for punishing someone for their sins. He is looking for repentance from people, and not to kill them, and forget about them. He wants to take repentant and forgiven sinners to heaven. We are always fault blind, or love blind, one or the other, but we can not be both, at the same time. The devil is called the accuser. He is the one accusing people for their sins before God, just as he did with Job. He is the master fault finder. God on the other hand, is always merciful and gracious, wanting to forgive people their sins, and to overlook their mistakes or sins, because of what Jesus did for humanity.
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God has abundant grace and peace, for every born again Christian, but there is something a Christian has to do, in order to have them abundantly.
God does not just load us with his grace and peace, regardless of what we think or do. That is why, In 2 Peter 1:2, it says that we can have the abundant grace and peace from God, if we have knowledge of God. That is, if we know God personally, and have both, knowing God, and knowing about God. You see, it is not enough for us to only know about God, or only to know God in a personal relationship. We need both. If we emphasise only having personal relationship with God, but not knowing about God, then we will have zeal for God, but without enough knowledge. Of course, we can never have enough knowledge about God, but we can have more knowledge about him. For example, studying Theology, can help us know more about God. But experiencing God’s presence and love personally, in our relationship with him, is knowing God personally, and in a closer way, even if we do not know too much about God. God has lavished on us his grace and peace abundantly, because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, and because of his resurrection, but we are the ones, who have to receive them with faith, just as we have received our salvation by faith. Salvation is given by the grace of God, to everyone who believes, but everyone has to receive it by grace, or otherwise, they will never be saved. So, I believe that it is the reason, why Apostle Peter says in 2 Peter 1:2, that we have the grace and peace of God, by our knowledge of him. The NLT New Living Translation actually says that we will have the grace and peace of God, as we grow in our knowledge of God. The more we know God, and about God, the more can we receive his grace and peace in abundance. |
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