Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full pressed down, shake together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. - Luke 6:37-38
I had enough football for one afternoon as the Broncos got thoroughly beat by the Eagles so flipping through Video Prime, I came across an interesting show titled, “The Amish and the Reformation”. My twin lives in an area of Indiana that is heavily Amish, so I was intrigued. The Amish are Christians who believe in delaying baptism until the candidate confesses his or her faith in Christ, as opposed to being baptized as an infant and this caused a major separation among the church and a split occurred. Many of the non-denominational churches follow this belief and though I was baptized as an infant in the Catholic Church, when I became a true follower of Christ, I was rebaptized in my 30’s.
Over the course of my lifetime, I have observed so many situations where families, companies and churches are torn apart by the need to be right. I’ve seen it in my own family over many years where distance is created because two people are more focused on proving a point, being right, or holding a grudge instead of just accepting their differences and opening themselves up to be loved and moving forward. Jesus addresses this idea in the book of Luke, where he says to love your enemies and to give to people without expecting to be repaid.
Give of yourself and your gift will return to you with overflowing abundance. Focusing on being right is in essence proving someone else to be wrong. Effectively judging and condemning will be returned to you also. This one idea is perhaps the most difficult of all biblical principles to follow, as it requires a healthy dose of checking what you believe to be true at the door and being vulnerable. And being vulnerable may lead to hurt, creating a real cheek-turning opportunity.
What relationship in your life is fractured by the pandemic of being right? Where do you struggle with others in your family or the Body of Christ? Where have you been hurt by others and unable to move forward? Instead of focusing on being right and creating emotional distance, strap on the mask of forgiveness and focus on giving love and receiving love. After all, what’s more important, being loved or being right?
- Submitted by Tom Ninness
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