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.
| Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Category: | Movies |
| Genre: | Action & Adventure |
On the account of Genesis, God said to Adam and Eve:
"Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." - Genesis 1:28 (English Standard Version)
Other versions read 'rule over...' What does it actually mean? To have dominion or to rule over the fishes, the birds, and every living thing that moves on the earth?
If you look up the world 'rule' in the Webster, you read there that it is an exercise of authority or control. 'Dominion' was also defined there as supreme authority (in this context). In layman's term, we are to be stewards of God's creation, animals in particular.
I want you to click on these links below and tell me if this is what God meant when he commanded us to rule over or have dominion over them?
Okay, I am not asking you to sign up for the PETA campaign or anything like that, but I want you to open your eyes to reality that it IS happening. I know that there are more important issues like poverty, human rights, world peace and everything in between, but isn't this equally important as well, given the command God gave us? (yeah it is us, not Adam and Eve alone)
Personally, I want my children to see what a chinchilla is or how sleek and beautiful seals are. But I am afraid that soon, these animals along with all the others will slowly die without us even noticing it. Unless we don't see asong kalye anymore. Yet as stewards we should know what is happening to these animals that God told us to rule over. You may not be an animal lover but the Creator gave you the responsibility to take care of His creations. What will you tell God when you face Him and He starts asking where have all the bluewhales gone?
So, think about it and do your part. It's not only my world but yours too.
Dear CSA Batchmates,
Hi! How have you been? I hope all's well in your life right now.I really don't know why I am writing this. Haha. It's raining. I hope that explains it. Man, I hate nostalgia when it hits you at a time like this (time check, 7:44AM). Crazy.
Well, I just really wanted to know how you guys have been. Basically, that's it. Have you already graduated? Found a new love? Learned a new language? Reconciled your relationship with God? Are you happily settled? Lost someone? Things like that.
Tsk, the questions I ask.I may not have known each and everyone in the batch as personal as I have known my close circle of friends. But I am certain that at some point in our elementary (SK days even) and highschool years, we've made a connection. And since years have passed since we last spoke to each other, I'm wondering how you are now. Are you still that same giggly seatmate I had in 2nd year? Do you still drag yourself on the floor? Do you still write poems as hopeful as before? Are you still playing volleyball? Have you made a career out of spoofing our Statistics teacher? Do you still remember the time when we were making up stories about giant rulers and talking pencil cases? Do you still keep all your song compositions in a notebook? Don't you like walking in the rain anymore? Do you still adore ice scrambles like you did in 3rd grade? Do you still have that dashing smile everytime we pose for the class picture?
It's funny when I remember pieces of how my life was. Life in CSA that is. Oh how sweet it was back then!
I am just being grateful. I bet you cannot hate everything in your life, can you? No. Else you'll grow bitter.I'm glad that somehow we became friends. That you're not just a batchmate but a real friend. You don't know how much I appreciate some things in my life now because of that moment we shared. You may not remember it anymore. But I bet if we get to see each other again and decide to sit down for coffee and talk, we'll start reminiscing and laughing and crying. *sigh*
Sorry for the drama there. Haha. I got carried away.The rain is lovely, don't you think?
Goodness, what's wrong with me. A simple "kamusta" would have sufficed. But do I have to write this long to ask that? Pffft. Pardon my schizophrenic moment.I just wanted to check that we haven't forgotten the times we had in CSA. When life was easy and uncomplicated. When our worries only meant incomplete assignments/projects, petty quarrel with a classmate, periodical exams, and angry teachers. Now, we all are experiencing the predicaments of the "grown-up" world. But hey, life's not too bad as we think it is.
I'm not expecting you to reply to this. Hahaha. I'm just feeling nostalgic. And I am not gonna die yet.I miss CSA. But CSA won't be CSA if it weren't for you guys. So, thanks. *insert hugging YM emoticon*
I'll be praying for all of you. May God bless you abundantly."I thank my God every time I remember you." - Philippians 1:3
N o r m i "It is not great men who change the world, but weak men in the hands of God..."
