Love like you've never loved before.

"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?" - Romans 2:1, 3 (New International Version)

God alone has the right to judge. I am a mere mortal and I am no God, so definitely judging others is not my right. I realized in judging others, I bring judgment to myself. I have sinned against God for I have trespassed His judgment. I am not perfect; therefore I am not in authority to judge. God judges all of us equally. He judges him, He judges her and He judges me. So if I judge another person, then I have just doubled God's judgment on me.

Yet, the Lord is full of love. Yes, He punishes us for the sins we have committed to discipline us because we are His children (Hebrews 12:5). His love is so great that Jesus was sent to us to save us from the consequences of our sins. He did not even spare His own Son to die a shameful death for people like us. Because of the death of Jesus Christ, we have been justified. And though we were not worthy, God still gave Jesus to us. An undeserved love. That is grace, my friend (Ephesians 2:8). We are confident that our salvation in Jesus is true. He died but did not stay dead for He resurrected from the grave and is now alive with our Father in heaven.

We live in a fallen world so expect temptation in every way. This is Satan's desperate attempt to gather as many people to rebel against God. He knows he is already defeated when Jesus took upon Himself the punishment of mankind... Death. Satan wants people to be one with him in turning their backs against God. But I have good news. Jesus offers salvation to everyone who is willing to receive it. This salvation, the love of God, is found in Jesus Christ alone. Once we have Jesus, no one, not even Satan can snatch us from God's hand and separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39, John 11:28). Isn't that a wonderful assurance?

It is inevitable that we sin as I've mentioned the obvious reason above. We are trapped in sin. But if we receive Jesus, we will be freed (John 8:36). Sin would no longer bind us for Jesus has freed us from it. As Paul said, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Once we've accepted Christ, we will be molded into His likeness. Nobody is too bad for Him. Jesus can change lives.

So having said that, we all know that we are all on the same level. Now, do we really have the right to judge others? No.

Instead...

For the believers, what we can do is encourage and pray for one another as we grow in our relationship with God. Let God's love overflow from us to others. If you know people who don't know the Lord Jesus yet, then share His good news. You are not to keep it for yourself. I pray that the Lord would grant all of us the zeal and boldness to open our mouths to speak of who Jesus Christ is. Besides, this is what God called us for.

For those who don't know Jesus and haven't accepted Him yet, seek the LORD your God and you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 4:29). Oh how excited I am for you to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Prepare your hearts and accept Him with all willingness and humility and you will surely find a life that is so abundantly blessed that you can't stop praising the Lord.

We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, so let us not condemn each other. How would the people know that we are Jesus' disciples if we do not love one another? Jesus Himself said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35)

It's gonna be a tough work but with God's grace, we will learn to love more and more.