Since I have recently graduated college and life has begun to slow down I have had a little time to read. I decided I wanted to read Rob Bell’s books Love Wins and Jesus Wants to Save Christians. Overall I felt that Love Wins and the publicity behind it created a lot of unnecessary hype. Honestly, I feel that Rob has been saying what was written in the book for a long time. I enjoyed it and it made me think. Personally I really liked Jesus Wants to Save Christians. I know Bell likes to point out where Christians, including himself, are missing the point and it got me thinking about my own judgments. After reading I kinda wrote my own thoughts down on a piece of paper because that helps me figure out what I think and it went something like this:
The poor and the oppressed.
The weak and afflicted.
The people that we choose not to see,
They are Your people.
Your chosen generation.
Even so,
The Hypocrite
The Prostitute
The Racist
The Self-Righteous
The Womanizer
You came to Restore and Redeem
What is harder to forgive?
me.
That’s who You came to redeem.
I don’t know. I want my heart to break for those who have nothing. Nothing meaning no food to eat, no place to sleep. I want to make a legitimate impact you know. Yet I am also learning that I am extremely judgmental towards those that do have, or have more than me. It’s so easy for me to point a finger, when really I am at fault the same amount if not more. Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. That includes me, if it were not for him I would be done. So who am I to point the finger?
i’m learning each day that when jesus spoke regarding specks and planks, he was giving us an example that if we ever choose to point out faults in our brothers and sisters(even their “christian” short comings) we are the ones with the planks shooting out of our brains. the plank and speck are always present together, even in a moment where one might feel justified for their actions. the gospel sure is crazy.
i agree, that analogy always gets me. It’s something i often have to remind myself of. Because it’s very easy for me to feel that i am the justified one and someone else is not. When that’s never the case.