I love the Church. It has so many problems, but I love it. I love my local church. It has problems too (after all, I’m part of it!), but I love it. I’m thankful that there are people in the global and local church who are unlike me. It’s a small reminder of what heaven will be like.
As I have gotten older, I hold tighter than ever to those “closed-handed” beliefs. These are the ones you’ll die to protect. However, at the same time, I hold looser to those “open-handed” ideas and opinions–and, I have discovered that there are many more my open hand than in the one that is closed.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.”
I’m particularly taken by the phrase, “My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent.” We can have what we feel are pure motives and still get it wrong. Paul was not a man given to uncertainty, but he understood that God was the ultimate judge, so we need to be careful how we judge others.
I know I’ve been judged wrong, and I’m absolutely certain I’ve judged incorrectly. Maybe I was simply being measured with the yardstick I used when I measured others. Maybe there was a plank in my eye while I was pointing out that piece of sawdust in someone else’s.
Why am I writing this? I don’t have any particular happening in mind. However, I do know this. If I want to grow in grace, I need to grow in grace-fulness. So, my hands full–but most important, they’re lifted in worship as I think of what Jesus has done for me.