At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Luke 10:21-22)
In James L. Rubart’s novel, Memory’s Door, evangelist Carson Tanner preaches seven Redemptive Reminders of what a child of God looks like: no cursing, no crude jokes, no smoking, no R-rated shows, no drinking, no slander or gossip, and no missing church. This spirit of religion comes from the enemy and is designed to make us feel guilty and judge. Warriors Reece, Dana, Brandon, and Marcus fight this spirit of religion in the spiritual world.
Jesus often traded words with the Pharisees because they judged people with rules, i.e., no healing people on Saturday (the Jewish Sabbath) because it is work. Jesus came to set us free from laws. He replaces all laws with one law: love one another with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. When we’re loving, we won’t do anything to hurt another.
Jesus is elated when He sees his disciples loving others and fighting the enemy. Also, they have become like little children who easily believe, trust and follow Him. Jesus finally sees that his disciples will succeed in taking over when he is crucified.
Dearest Heavenly Father, help me love with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and know Jesus better so He will reveal more about You to me. Help me fight the spirit of religion knowing that Jesus came to take away guilt and doesn’t want me to judge others. Finally, help me to be like a little child who believes, trusts, and follows You so easily. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.
Good morning, Jody! First, I miss you. Wish you were still here. Judgement is what sends people packing when it comes to religion. Many religions have the reputation of being judgemental. Some churches and pastors have the reputation of being judgemental. That is why people leave the church. We should all preach the love of God and Christ. In my opinion, that is how we are the best shepherds. I,too, pray that I will not judge others, because sometimes it is so easy to do.
I miss you, too! It is human nature to want to judge people. Not doing it is difficult, and I am guilty too. Thinking about the Scripture: Our fight isn’t against flesh and blood but the powers of this dark world helps me. Being judgmental prevents so many from knowing Jesus. I wish Christians could see that.