“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:1-11
We’re to be fishers of men. I know I’ve failed a few times over and continue to do so. When controversy stirs and political debates begin, it’s easy to lose sight of who we are talking to and who we represent.
Focusing on how far our words reach, beyond just the person before us, can help us keep our harsh words to ourselves and to instead reach into God’s unending love when we react. Because even if our conversation is with one person, we’re really speaking into the lives of those that one person comes into contact. When they’re friends say, “Yeah, and what’d they say to that when you shared it?” or “How’d they treat you when you entered their building?” or “They’re just a typical bunch of hypocrites.”
When Jesus dealt with the adulteress woman and the crowd (John 8:1-11), He told the men that whom ever was without sin to cast the first stone. He didn’t react negatively to the accused or the accusers. When they all left He told the woman, “Go and sin no more.”
His actions with the crowd spoke volumes. Surely they walked away talking about His words and actions. His words reached beyond that crowd as the multitudes shared with those who weren’t present. You can bet that what He said to the woman when it was just the two of them was also shared as she walked away having not been condemned by Jesus himself.
So much is going to show up over the next many months as we move into the full swing of election. Politics get ugly. Let us use extreme caution when we approach these topics. It is very easy online for words to be misunderstood and twisted. I know it’s going to be very hard to have self control in this area for many of us. When I see folks getting ugly, I tend to want to get involved.
Will you join with me in agreeing to do our very best to stay out of the ugly discussions? Remembering who we serve and how many people our words can and will reach.
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Photo Credit: notherone14
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