I heard this in a movie once.  It made me laugh.  But it also made me wonder.  How many of us live life like that?  Just having the perspective that was handed down to us by our grandparents and parents.  Never stopping to think if that perspective is in line with God’s perspective.

When my husband was just out of college, he got a job in a machine shop over the winters.  Working there was a guy who had a real chip on his shoulder about the owners.  They were thoughtless, careless people who didn’t give a rip about him.  Any new plan they put into place was viewed with suspicion.  Everything new was bad.  And, yet, we knew, that wasn’t the case.  This man had grown up thinking the boss was always bad.  Perhaps his dad or his grandfather really did have an evil boss who took advantage of his employees.  Who knows?

Ironically enough, this man’s son came to work for us.  And guess what?  He, too, came with the same large chip on his shoulder.  I will never forget the time we tried to put a matching and fully voluntary IRA in place as a benefit for our employees.  He thought that somehow we were trying to take advantage of him and take something from him.  He refused to participate for years, because of his fear that we were out to get him.

He never stopped to truly think about it.  To truly understand that there was no possible way the company could be taking advantage of him by giving him a matching IRA.   In his mind, he could not comprehend that owners would ever want to do something nice for their employees.

We can judge these guys I have talked about, but you know what?  We do it, too, don’t we?  We have assumptions and perspectives that we never stop to think about.  We go along in our lives daily and just assume them.   As I already said, some of them come from our heritage.  But some of them we have made up along the way.

Perhaps someone said something in an irritating or angry way a time or two and you made an assumption about them that will never leave you.  Even if that person is aware of that sin and is working on it, people like you and I do not make it very easy on them.  We continue to hold it over them, remembering one or two (or a thousand) moments when they have hurt us.

But I am not really sure that we are to live like this.  Wouldn’t it be better, for peace and unity, to examine our perspectives from time to time and figure out if they are truly a godly perspective or just something that was handed down to us or perhaps developed from our past experiences?

And perhaps-if we really stop and think- we may even realize that the Christian brother or sister that isn’t quite like us is a really nice person.  Or perhaps we might realize that our supervisor is filled with anxiety over some issues outside the office or that our professor has a child in the hospital.

Of course, sometimes, we will reach the conclusion–the boss is really out to get me.  That Christian sister or brother really doesn’t like me.  That salesman really likes himself.  But that does not mean all bosses are out to get me.  Or that all churches are filled with hate and dislike.  Or that all salesmen really like themselves.   We cannot make assumptions like that.

Let’s live our lives, instead, by the motto “it makes sense, if you DO think about it.”

Communication is a big deal.   How we communicate can lock hearts or open hearts.  It can make us look like a jerk or make us look like an empathetic listener.  It can show that we care only for our own selfish agenda or it can show that we care about others.

Communicating is done through many ways, isn’t it?  Of course, talking is what comes to mind first but just because someone doesn’t talk  a lot , does not mean they are not communicating.  Folded arms and a big sigh speak very clearly to the person one is “talking” to.   Ignoring someone says “I don’t care”.   Rolled eyes say “You are weird” or “not this again”.

If our desire, as a Christian, is to be like Jesus, then it should follow that our communication should be like His, as well.   But what exactly does that mean?  Jesus gives us a wonderful example of communicating in the Bible.  While we do not know His body language, we do know that He was perfect.  That would lead me to believe there wasn’t a lot of disgusted sighs or rolled eyes or huffy walking away.  But what do we know about how Jesus communicated?

1.  Jesus was kind.

In Matthew 9 we read of a woman who had been bleeding continuously for twelve years.   She had faith that even if she touched the garment of Jesus she would be healed, so she jostled her way up through the crowd to do this.  When Jesus turned around to greet her, he said “Be of Good Cheer, your faith has made you well.”    He treated her kindly.  He didn’t say, “Don’t touch me!  Leave me alone!”    I don’t know about you, but it is tempting for me to react in anger or sarcasm if someone is invading my personal space (young children are really good at doing this) or infringing upon my time.   But Jesus shows us clearly that we are to think of others and not of ourselves.

2.  Jesus had compassion for others.

In Mark 1, we find the account of the leper.  This poor man has been stricken with leprosy, but he comes to kneel before Jesus, crying “If You are willing, You can make me clean“.    The following verse is beautiful.  In NKJV it says, “Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, I am willing; be cleansed.”    Don’t you love that line “moved with compassion”?  Jesus truly cared about that man.  Can you understand how unloved and cast out lepers were?  They were the scum of the earth in the days of Jesus.   To associate with them was to put yourself at risk.   And, yet, Jesus had compassion on this man.  He didn’t just say “be healed” and walk away.  He genuinely cared.    Makes me wonder if I genuinely care when someone requests something of me?  Do I have compassion when I see someone in a difficult situation?  And do I give voice and action to that compassion or do I just feel it for a moment and then get on with my life?

3.  Jesus wanted to keep His message the priority.

After He had healed the leper in Mark 2, He asked him to keep it quiet.  He asked him to say nothing to anyone.  It is recorded that the leper did not obey Jesus (I can’t judge that leper too harshly–I have to admit, I would have struggled with that command, too!  Can you imagine how exciting it would be to be healed of a disease like that??)  But why did Jesus issue that command, anyway?  MacArthur notes state that “The ensuing publicity would hinder Jesus’s ability to minister and divert attention from His message.”   Jesus could heal people, but that was not His mission for coming to earth.  And I think, as believers, we need to remember this, too.  We can do wonderful, temporary things for people.  Give them food, help them with shelter, give them eye glasses and dental help.  But if we do this without sharing the gospel, what eternal good is it?  Let’s keep the gospel a priority, in the midst of our good works.

4.  Jesus was not prejudiced.

I know that this sounds basic.  But, every now and then, I will still hear of a believer in Jesus Christ make a statement that would be inappropriate regarding a specific group of people.  I don’t think Jesus would approve.  Jesus was not a respecter of persons.  Do we have a specific example of this?  As a matter of fact, we do.  In John 4, Jesus witnesses to the Samaritan woman.   She asks Jesus in verse 9, how he, being a Jew, would request water from a Samaritan woman?  You see, not only was she a Samaritan, she was also a woman.  She had two counts against her.  And, yet, Jesus took time to talk with her.  Jesus didn’t care about her sex or her race.  But he did care about her.  If you are ever tempted to avoid someone because of their race or to make a blanket judgment about a group of people, remember this account in the gospel of John.

5.  Jesus was honest.

As we continue on in John 4, we read more of Jesus’s conversation with the woman at the well.   Jesus confronts the woman’s sin.  Of course, he had a bit of an advantage, as He knew all about her sin, before she ever opened her mouth!  But, still, He talked with her about it.  And then witnesses to her.  As we share the gospel, we can not hesitate to lovingly reveal people’s sin.  How else  can they be saved?   Unless a man or woman realize that they are a sinner, there is no need for repentance or for a savior.  But…and maybe I am stretching it a bit…could this possibly be carried over into other areas of life?  Should we be more honest with each other?  I think most of us spend our life not being truthful with those around us.  We figure it is just easier to avoid the conflict.   And sometimes that is true.  But we need to ask God to show us when it worth being truthful.  Because, oftentimes, the avoidance tactic ends up growing into a mountain that takes a miracle to move.

6.  Jesus did get angry but only with righteous cause.

In John 2, we read of the temple cleansing.  When Jesus saw the marketplace the temple had become, He grew angry and took action.  Jesus was not angry because of how they treated Him personally, as a human man, but He was angry at the treatment of God and His Holy Place.  And while He took forceful action (driving them all out of the temple), there is no indication that He was cruel in His actions.   Perhaps we could follow His example?  I can’t help but think, in contrast, of the cross.  Not only did Jesus not grow angry in their treatment of Him, as they spit on Him and cast lots for His clothing, but He asked the Father to forgive them.  Wow.  What an example.  I don’t know about you, but I find that my anger usually centers on ME and my unsatisfied desires.  Sobering thought, isn’t it?  I think the other lesson to be learned here is that we have a right to get angry when someone is teaching false doctrine.  We are not supposed to tolerate this!  Nowhere in scripture do we read that we are to keep peace at the expense of pure doctrine.  We are to drive false teachers out of the church…both on a local level and on a larger scale.

While there are other examples of how Jesus communicates in scripture, that is probably long enough for today.  I hope that God’s Word challenges you today.  To God be the Glory!

When asked, many people–even those calling themselves Christians–will say that they think they are a good person. They believe the good things they do outweigh the bad things they do. And they hope that the scales is tipped enough to the “good deeds” side to get them entrance into heaven when they die. They often believe Christ died for the sins of the world. But, for some reason, they think that they still need to do enough good things before they can be reconciled with God and spend eternity with Him.

I know many, if not most, of my readers fully realize that there is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor. But if you have landed here and do not truly understand this, it seemed well worth the effort to write about it this week. On Good Friday we contemplate Jesus’s death on the cross. And then on Sunday we celebrate Easter, the glorious day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead to reign forever more! But why does it really matter, if I can be good enough anyway?

Do you truly realize the message of the cross? Do you realize that Jesus died on that cross for your sins? So that you can  be reconciled with God? To provide the ONLY way for reconciliation? In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

There are lots of vague, fuzzy beliefs out there right now. Beliefs that you can believe whatever you want. False teachers who tell us we can all believe differently and still get to heaven. But Jesus tells us in the Bible that we cannot all believe different things. He tells us that He is the only way.

And, lest you think you are tipping the scales pretty heavily on the “not guilty” side and in no need of a Savior, Romans 3:23 sets us all straight:“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Our pastor said yesterday that our good deeds are akin to our taking dirty water and filthy rags and washing windows. Will you end up with clean windows? No, you will still have dirty windows.

Isaiah 64:6 says:

But we are all like an unclean thing,
      And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;

So, we can do all the good deeds in the world, and yet, we can never reach perfection. And so, God made a way for us. He sent His Son to die on a cross and to rise victoriously over sin! He sent His son so that we can stand clean–white as snow–before God (Isaiah 1:18). Instead of our sin, God sees Christ’s righteousness. Oh, the glorious cross! It made a way of salvation for you and for me!

So, you may say, if our righteousness is as filthy rags, why do anything good? Why bother? Why try to live a good life? I will tell you why! Because if you are truly a believer in Jesus Christ and if you truly understand what He did for you on the cross then you will love Him so much that you will want to please Him in all that you do. Your main goal in life becomes glorifying Him and sharing the wonderful good news of the gospel with others.

I am afraid that I have “preached to the choir” in writing this. If you have already repented and trusted Jesus for your eternal salvation, may you take this week to truly ponder and rejoice in what Christ did for you on the cross. But, if you have not, may I encourage you to search the scriptures, so that you may understand what it was that Christ did for you on the cross. And, although I do not know your name, please know that I will be praying for you.

AT CALVARY