tenderhearted as God

(Source: www.christianpost.com)

Jesus said the meek shall inherit the earth. Narcissism will one day be wiped out, and those who bully, accuse, and abuse others will no longer humiliate God's people.

We Christians need more tenderheartedness, more genuine care and concern for fellow believers from every tradition which does not imply we must compromise the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We need childlike faith and humble repentance, more "true religion" and much less arrogant talk.  We need to come to know Jesus more than our theology books and quit divisive arguing over doctrines since God gives His people freedom to disagree.  We need to stop trying to make everyone else in our own image and start following Christ even if we have to do so alone.

It makes me sick and sad to see God's character, which is love, profaned by people who claim to hold to correct doctrines.  I am aware that the idea of only one true church is not limited to Calvinists. The concern I have is that those who associate with bullies now may answer for it later.  We should weep for those who harden their hearts and yet accuse others of the same.

The fact is God calls us to follow Him. It is a long obedience in the same direction. It is not about head knowledge but heart repentance. A life changed by the Holy Spirit is shown not in apparent adherence to correct doctrines but in a heart work that results in the spiritual fruits described in Galatians.  The church is far bigger than many Christians will allow for and yet perhaps paradoxically smaller than any of us might like to believe. 

Our faith rests in the person of Jesus Christ and His finished work at the cross, not our outward church involvement or our correct articulation of essential doctrines. His call is "follow me", and His character is humble and gentle of heart.  This is the same God who stands against injustice; He is able to be angry at evil, yet kind to the one who needs Him.

The Scriptures say that in the last days people will be lovers of themselves instead of lovers of God.  Could it be that this is what we are seeing in much of our Christianity?  The one who stands firm to the end will be saved.  That stand rests secure in Jesus the Anointed One, and cannot be shaken, not even by selfish and cruel "Christians".  There is still time for everyone to repent and trust Him instead of our intellectual understanding of the gospel.  As Jesus said, "the meek will inherit the earth."

 

And that gives me hope.

As a postscript, here are two of my favorite blogs that give me hope for their honest stand.

http://littleredsurvivor.com/

[Update Oct 2020: I can no longer recommend the second blog due to a lack of discernment showed by its author online.]

Here are some blogposts that respond to the events that triggered my thoughts here:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/justandsinner/the-15-and-the-reprehensible-dishonoring-of-christs-martyrs/

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/a-little-pharisaical-southern-baptist-copt-martyrs-christianity/



It also gives me hope when I see people turning evil to good.  Check out this beautiful artwork from the author of littleredsurvivor.com: