Judgmental Love

For awhile I had been given a title of Judgmental Love. I wasn’t sure what I was to do with it…where it was supposed to go. The premise that came to me was the fact that so many times we love based on how things are supposed to look. We love based on what the manual from a church says instead of going to the real source where we learn what love is…the Bible.

"Any spirit that leads you to be more judgmental, more critical, more violent, more harsh, or more hard, rather than becoming more tender, more compassionate, more loving, more aware of the poor and the broken and the outsider and outcast, is NOT from Jesus." --David Busic from a sermon in the month of March via Lisa Jones’s facebook page

From the book: So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore - Wayne Jacobsen via some friends’ facebook page.

"I'm convinced that most Christian meetings give people enough of God's things to inoculate them against the reality of His presence."

...religion is...a shame-management system, often with the best of intentions and always with the worst of results...in the end people are still addicted to shame and bounce between self-pity and self-glory, never finding freedom to simply live in him. It makes people think God wants a cause and effect relationship with them. If they are good, he will be good to them."

"I would waste far less time ragging on religion and find out just how much Jesus wants to be your friend without any strings attached. He will care for you and if given a chance will become more real to you than your best friend.... - this really struck me and my prayer for everyone to not only learn, but feel - started reading the book last night

After hearing Tim Bourland’s sermon on 2 John
2 John 5-6 (NLT) “And now I want to urge you, dear lady, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we had from the beginning. Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you hear from the beginning.”

Life Application Note:
We can show love in many ways: by avoiding prejudice and discrimination, by accepting people, by listening, helping, giving, serving, and refusing to judge.

If we love judgmentally or expect love to be pretty, is kind of like God accepting the rich young man based on his appearance. Real Christlike love is to be based on the grace and mercy as shown to us from Jesus. Not on the church’s list of do’s and don’ts.

2 John 9 (NLT) “For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ you will not have fellowship with God.”

When the church (any church) takes more stock in the manual that man has written up, is this a form of wandering from the teaching of Christ? The crux is loving people unconditionally…in the manner that Christ calls us to.

Last night, April 13, 2011, God came to me. I realized that everything I have been trying in the last year, year and a half or so has been in my own strength. That nothing has been dependent upon the one who died for me…whose blood has been shed for me.

You see, the hurt that I had been holding onto was controlling my life. Because the hurt had come from the place I thought was safe (the church), I lost my trust in its people. As a result of that, I had lost my ability to trust God…to trust the one who loves me more than anyone.

Then several things came to me last night via Facebook and believe it or not from the show The Talk.

From Facebook:

Reading Jesus Calling 4 today.
"I designed u to depend on Me moment by moment, recognizing that apart from Me, u can do nothing."
BAM. (via @NatalieGrant)

From Jenny Swank:
"Remember who you are. You are not a failure. You are not incapable. You are not a loser. You are none of those things. You are a Jesus girl capable of victory. You are absolutely capable of being empowered.. God Loves you- head to toe.. Remember who you are." by Lysa Terkeurst - Made to Crave

And the following song which I first saw online while watching an episode of The Talk:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oew56nR3UuI

As a result of these three things and the voice of the Holy Spirit that I thought had left me, I was figuratively brought to my knees. God came to me saying, let me take control of your life once again…let me have the wheel back. And so I did

Now I am not saying the healing is totally complete, but I am more on my way than I have been in a really long time.

After releasing my life to God again, I started reading Facing Your Giants.

Then a lot of what I have been feeling and/or believing was so real in the notes below from Facing Your Giants mixed in with a few Ronda notes:

Chapter 4: “How will we the church react when someone comes in not pure?” Maybe the main question is how are we supposed to react? “Will that person find: criticism or compassion?; rejection or acceptance?; raised eyebrows or extended hands?” Where we are as individuals may not be pretty, but we are to be accepted just as God accepts us as we are warts and all…no judgement.

“When David is running from Saul, protecting his life. Where does he go? He goes to the church. David shows his weakness, his humanity. He is untruthful with the priest. He lost is God-focus.. Despite all that is told to Ahimelech, he gives David food and a sword. As Eugene Peterson puts it, “the function of the church is to be “a sanctuary, where I, like David, get bread and a sword, strength for the day and weapons for the fight”.”

“To the spiritually hungry, the church offers nourishment, Romans 8:38-39
To the fugitive, the church offers weapons of truth, Romans 8:28

The church exists to provide both. Does she succeed in doing so?
Jesus calls the church to lean in the direction of compassion.
At the end of the sanctuary day, the question is not how many laws were broken but rather, how many desperate Davids were nourished and equipped? Ahimelech teaches the church to pursue the spirit of the law more than its letter.”

“The church just as Jesus did on the Sunday after Friday’s crucifixion is to be bread for souls (John 20:19) and provide a sword for the struggle (John 20:22). Two things that are needed in times of desperation.”

Just because someone’s situation isn’t pretty doesn’t mean we don’t love with open arms. After all as pointed out in Facing the Giants: Chapter 5, …(the church is) “one gift of grace removed from”…an ugly situation. The church is to be the place where one can find “refuge in God’s presence, comfort in his people.” Are we really being the place where this can happen? Or are we judging instead of showing the merciful compassion of our Lord?

I would appreciate some feedback from these thoughts. Not sure this is truly complete yet…there may be a part two. We will see.