June 14, 2021

 

Love Reflects Jesus

 

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

– John 13:34-35

 

Ugliness abounds. Hateful comments. Snide remarks. Lies meant to bring harm and discord. Hatred clothed in opinion narratives. The saddest thing? These are sins from people who claim to follow Jesus.

 

The hardest part of the past couple of years has been watching friends I truly believed to be strong Christians fall into this ugliness. It’s not about politics. I don’t care what your opinion is. I do care deeply about how you express that opinion. It breaks my heart to see people cast aside simply because they disagree with someone. Who are we to judge?

 

We are no one. The Bible tells us not to judge. But we do. All the time, in every way imaginable. Race, religion, sexual orientation, political views, economic status. We almost don’t need a reason to spew ugliness about another person. What does that say about us?

 

Our lives are meant to reflect Jesus to a dark and hurting world. Every time we allow ourselves to point fingers or share ugly words, we remind others of why they don’t want to know Jesus. Who would invite that kind of hatred into their own lives?

 

Except Jesus has nothing to do with hatred. It’s always important to remember that when He got angry it was at the religious elite who were so busy being “right” that they missed their Savior.

 

The next time you’re tempted to toss out your “opinion” consider how Jesus might react to hearing those words. If it’s not about loving others as He does, then just keep your thoughts to yourself.

February 8, 2018

Watch What You Share

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is not truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” – John 8:44

It made the social media rounds. It was Super Bowl Sunday and the word was that the NFL wasn’t going to allow the Star-Spangled Banner to be played. People were disgusted with Commissioner Roger Goodell. Some threatened to boycott watching the game.

It was all a lie. Pink sang the National Anthem. Everyone raved about her performance. I only noticed one person come back and post on social media that the information previously shared was wrong. She didn’t apologize for sharing it. She simply noted it was wrong and “someone” obviously got their information wrong.

This woman, along with many others, are wonderful Christians. Except when they aren’t. Did it ever occur to them to check the facts before sharing a lie? Of course not. It’s just too easy to click that share button. It’s not so easy to research the issue themselves.

Everyone knows I’m all about opinions. I love sharing my own and I love to hear different voices debating real issues. We all learn that way. But there’s a line between opinion and lie. So many people don’t understand that.

Another sweet friend defended her right to her opinion. I guess she’s been getting some flack for the hatred she shares on social media. Not from me, I might add. I simply ignore it. I know that very little of what she shares actually has any truth in it.

She is defensive. I understand that. It’s never fun to be criticized. But I think maybe she’s missing the point of the comments. She is certainly entitled to her opinion. But when she constantly shares hatred and then turns around and talks about Jesus, well, she comes off sounding like a hypocrite. And that makes people angry.

It’s a vicious cycle. Hatred begets hatred. Anger begets anger. And lies beget them both. We’re so busy having “opinions” that we can’t hear any voice but our own. We blame it all on Washington but, honestly, it starts right here with all of us.

I wonder what would happen if all those who claim to be Christians simply refused to share hatred and ugliness. It is possible to share your opinion without either of those things. I wonder how our country, and the world, would change if we sought to listen and learn rather than listen and reply.

If your “opinion” is a lie, it comes from Satan. Be careful what you share. Is it kind? Does it show respect for all those created in God’s image? If the answer is no, then don’t share it. Don’t say it. Don’t be a part of it. And, certainly, don’t excuse it as your “opinion.”

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Fact and Opinion Are Different Things

So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. -- Galatians 5:1

So what is your opinion? Go ahead. Pick out a passage in the Bible and tell me what you think. What? You don’t know about that? Well, maybe you could think of something. And, chances are, it’ll be all about your opinion and not about God.

Oops! That is where we run into so many disagreements and interpretations. Let’s face it. Anybody can take just about anything in the Bible and turn it into something they want it to say. It doesn’t mean that it says that but it sounds good.

It gets down to context and, in some cases, going back to the original Greek and Hebrew texts and trying to figure out what it meant when it was written. Sometimes the only way we can know for sure is to ask God to help us. And He will. He loves when we seek His voice.

The other day the topic of Biblical interpretation came up. It was used in defense of something that just wasn’t true. It’s one of the many reasons I always urge people to read the Bible for themselves. Then you know what it says and you aren’t as likely to be tempted to believe what someone else has decided.

See, it’s not about opinion. There is a huge difference between opinion (and I have a lot of those) and facts. The weather forecasters’ opinion gave us a 60 percent chance of rain today. The fact is that we didn’t get any. There’s a difference.

Many years ago I listened as an uppity Christian woman got put in her place by a woman she looked down on. The woman said in an arrogant tone that the Bible tells us not to drink alcohol. Actually, it doesn’t. The other woman knew the Bible quite well and pointed it out.

Yeah, I know about the Scripture telling us not to lead others into temptation. So if we follow that line of reasoning -- no one should drink alcohol because some people will overindulge -- then we should eliminate desserts and all unhealthy foods from the church potlucks. No? Well, our nation has a huge obesity and diabetes problem so offering unhealthy food items is definitely leading people astray.

There will always be disagreements among Christians. We can’t agree on music style or what to wear or just about anything it seems some days. And that’s okay. So long as we agree on the main things -- think John 3:16 -- everything else is just opinion. Don’t confuse the two. And don’t get so caught up in things that don’t matter, that you let your opinions push people away from Christ rather than draw them closer