"Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones? Do you judge people fairly? No, you practice injustice in your hearts; with your hands you weigh out violence in the land."
Psalms 58:1-2
Psalms 58:1-2
I've been thinking a lot lately about people. There was a time in my life where I hated everyone, I was especially bitter towards people who were different from me whether that was color, sexual orientation. or just the way they looked or talked. I find myself contemplating how I view the world differently now when I walk around the mall, or meet strangers across the hall in a hotel. I know God has changed me in so many ways, but at times there is still a little animosity in me. My prayer is that God will cut it all out and replace it with compassion.
It's natural for us as humans to judge people. We do it every single day, we judge people by how they look, talk, sometimes even just how they walk. God has been dealing with me when even the slightest judgements that pass through my mind. Who am I to judge someone based on their appearence or anything for that matter. We all are created in the image of God, have the breath of God in us, and have as much value as the death of an innocent King on a cross. What I've come to realize recently, is that it's not coming from my mind, it's coming from my heart… The bible says that the heart is deceitful above all things(Jeremiah 17:9) and I need a daily heart transplant.
Having traveled to 39 states since October, I have had the opportunity to see a variety of people groups. These groups range from the extremely rich to dirt poor street people and everyone in between. One thing that I have concluded is that typically the people that are in a higher class have the most judgmental hearts. These people are also the ones who are the most bitter and the ones who have the least joy. It seems that these people have almost everything they could possibly want in the world, but miss everything in the process. They often practice injustice in their hearts…
I remember watching parts of the BCS championship game here at the hotel last night. It was a blow out, Alabama won by at least 4 touchdowns. At the end of the game the head coach for Alabama was being congratulated for his 4th BCS championship, the 3rd in the last 4 years. As he was being interviewed I watched his body language, his eyes, his facial expressions. There was no sound at the hotel restaurant so all I could focus on was what he was saying through his body language. What I concluded after a few minutes was that he is a miserable man. Last night he was on top of the college football world, but I guarantee he slept a miserable bitter man last night. Why? Because his heart is in the wrong place…. God don't ever let my heart get to a point where I care more about stuff or anything more than the value of people.
As christians we don't have the time to waste with a bitter heart, a judgmental spirit, or ones who practice injustice. We are created in the image of a loving God, a righteous God, a Holy and just God….
Father make us a people who's hearts are broken before you… Daddy make us your children who weep over the things you weep over, who fight injustice whenever we see it. God cut us deep to our core, mark and burn our hearts with compassion for everyone we come in contact with, make us as a generation that breaks for justice across the globe… Father I ask that those who stumble on this blog would present their hearts before you with me, and Holy Spirit I ask that you'd cut out what needs cut out, I pray that you'd remove everything that is not of you and replace it with more of you. Father we don't have time to waste, right now there are people who are trapped, enslaved, and dying without you, our neighbors, our classmates, our parents, our friends. Let us change the world around us through your love, break us in humility Father and align us with your Spirit. Use us to meet the needs, God use us for your glory.
