"Thank You that I'm Not Like Other People"

A woman left a comment on one of my devotions saying she believed in Christ but she'd never become a Christian. She claimed that as a deeply spiritual person she could see that all Christians are judgmental and unworthy of her.(1)

Confident of her own righteousness, she judgmentally judged all Christians as judgmental (Matthew 7:1-5; Matthew 23:12). People who stereotype Christians rarely see their own hypocrisy.

I immediately thought of the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14 standing in the temple saying, "God, I thank you that I am not like other people."(2)

In contrast to the Pharisee, the tax collector in Luke 18 admitted he was a sinner, acknowledging his need for forgiveness. 

Yes, we Christians blow it sometimes. But Christianity isn't a club we join based on whether we think its members are worthy of us. Christianity is a personal faith in Jesus, a faith that brings us into the family of God, a family that isn't perfect but is far better than the rest of the world who "are under the control of the evil one" (1 John 5:19; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Timothy 3:15).

If you've been reading my devotions, you know that I'm all about admitting our faults and yielding our hearts and minds to the Lord. I don't sugar-coat our need to repent and mature.

But I'm tired of Pharisees bullying my brothers and sisters in Christ, stereotyping all of us by the worst examples, and overlooking all of the good we do. That's the same thing racial bigots do.

No one rejects Christ because of bad Christian examples. They reject Christ because they think they're too good to need a Savior, too good to join a family of imperfect but repentant "tax-collectors" (Romans 1:18-21).(3)

💙Beyond 1-minute for those who want more:

(1) It's very popular for people to claim that they like or believe in Jesus but don't like Christians.

These people prove that they don't know or believe in the real Jesus because He would rebuke them for their bigotry and self-righteous pride. They wouldn't find Him so "comfortable" if they knew Him.

See Was Jesus Likable?

There are times when Christians deserve criticism, but people who negatively stereotype all Christians are simply showing that they belong to the world:

John 15:19: "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." 

2 Corinthians 2:15-16: "For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?"

(2) The Pharisee and the tax collector:

Luke 18:9-14: "To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 'Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: "God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get." But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.'"  

(3) Those who reject Christianity:

Romans 1:18-21: "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." 

Bible Love Notes

Important Message:

Update: I am no longer blocked, but this is a hint of what Christians are facing as we continue to share God's truths.

Dear Readers, A couple of days ago I posted in the Bible Love Notes Discussion Group explaining that it would be wise to sign up for a subscription to Bible Love Notes because Christian bloggers were expecting to eventually be censored from social media. As of this morning, I have been removed from my discussion group. I cannot join or participate. 

Thus far my access to my other pages and groups has not been changed, and I have requested to be restored to the group. 

Sometimes Facebook has little “burps” in their functioning, and I am usually the last one to assume it’s intentional, but this change was so specific that I think it’s very likely that Facebook has censored me for claiming that social media might censor Christian content in the future. I am praying they will restore my access, but Michael my husband will be the administrator until they do. 

Please pray, dear group members. I genuinely believe we are headed for increased censorship in our world, and social media is the least of our worries. 

Some Christians are leaving Facebook, and I don’t question their decision, but we feel Bible Love Notes is supposed to maintain a presence as long as we are allowed. We will not change our content to suit the censorship, but we are praying to be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).