Thanks for joining us on this journey of building a consistent habit of reading our Bibles every day. The Bible reading plan we are using this year can be found here: One Year Bible or here on the Bible app. As always, if you miss a day, don’t feel compelled to go back and catch up. Just skip it and start back on today’s date. I am reading the NLT this year, but feel free to use whatever version you prefer. Now here are some thoughts from today’s readings:
“Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered?
– Luke 13:2
As followers of Jesus, we must completely reject the idea that a person’s circumstances are do solely on their choices or the type of person they are. If we automatically feel like every homeless person could just work harder to be like us, we have made two terrible errors. The first is, we assume that being like us is the goal to be reached. You may argue that you aren’t saying that, but at best what you are saying is that the goals you have for your life everyone should have. You are the model either way, and I’m not sure I could find a thought more prideful.
The second is that we begin to believe that we achieved our life status on our own. If our poor choices lead us to failure, then it must be our genius choices, our good and moral choices that lead us to success. This simply isn’t the case. Wrap your mind around this: there are people who work harder then you, live holier than you, pray and study more than you, love more than you, and are even smarter than you that don’t live the life of success that you do. Life isn’t fair. Not for any of us. And neither is God for that matter (Lucky for us!). Let’s not judge people by their circumstances today. Let’s see their potential in Christ and then use the different areas we’ve been blessed in to help them get there.
Who have you been judging based on their current circumstances? How can you help the reach their max potential?