He was very rough around the edges. He had tatoos, long hair and to some he would probably frighten on their first impression of him. I got to know him several years ago while I was still in banking. He came in one day and needed a small loan. I checked him out and found that he paid his payments on time so I made the loan. Through that year I got to know him better. He would come in sometimes to just talk. Under his rough outer crust he was a nice guy. You know, he was about like a fried pie. You sometimes don't know what kind of pie it is until you look under the crust.
One day the opportunity came up and I invited him to go to church with me that next Sunday. He said, "No, I can't go. I need to try to clean my life up a little before I can go to church and besides I don't look like a church goer. Anyway,I don't have the clothes to wear" .
This man's statement about going to church still bothers me. Have Christians left the impression to the world that you have to be dressed up, sinless and problem free to go to church? This man did not know that God loves him just as much as he loves me. Christians, somewhere down the line, we have missed the mark.
Let's read John 3:16 telling about God's love and who He excludes from that love. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life". (NKJV) The key word is world. That includes everyone and excludes no one.
Christians, we need to quit looking at our fellow man through our eyes and start using God's eyes. Remember whose image mankind is made in. Read Genesis 1:26. We know God hates sin but he loves the sinner. His son, Jesus died for us while we were still sinners.(Romans 5:8)
I want to give you an example using my youngest grandson, Connor, who is one year old. Let's say that his blood has something in it that cures cancer. But for the doctors to get what they need, Connor has to die.( I know this is far fetched and has been used before, but I want to make a different point.) So Connor dies and everyone that has cancer now can be cured. Now, I want to ask you a question. When I see someone with cancer am I going to tell them about the cure? But, most importantly, how much do you think that I will love them? My grandson has died for them. I am going to love them so much as if they were my grandson.
Now, when I look at anyone, I try to use God's eyes. I should love them as God does. When they see me loving them unconditionally they will see Christ living in me. Do you think that if we as Christians loved the sinner as God does, our Sunday morning worship services would have more visitors of different walks of life? They would come to seek the love of God and also, by the way we treat them they would feel comfortable around us, even though they didn't have nice clothes to wear.
I do not condone sin and I do not believe God does either. So don't go telling that Rick Hepler says that everyone will be saved. We have to be in contact with Christ's blood to wash away our sins the same way in the example I used with my grandson. The cancer patients would have to have what came from his blood to get the cure and they would have to do something to obtain that cure. We can only have our sins washed away by the blood of Christ.
There are many people in our communities that are hurting. Christians, we need to show them a love that they have never seen. We need to be Christians like we have never seen.
This has been very hard for me to write. I want to do "that main thing" that a Christian should do." That main thing, is "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and next you shall love your neighbor as yourself". You notice, the heart is first and everything else will fall into place. I must remember that I need a saviour.
I want to live a life that on the day of my funeral the preacher will not have to tell anyone that Rick loved the Lord. I want those that will be in attendance to know also that I loved them. What greater purpose in this life can I have? What about you?
You and I have the rest of our life to do God's purpose for our lives. The rest of our lives may be only today. Let's do it today.
I hope you are enjoying reading this. Many are wondering why I have this blog. Well, I am in the process of writing a book and I needed to develop writing skills and the discipline to do it. The title I think will be "Christians, We need To Talk". The title could change, but the content will still have the same theme.
Please send this to others if you enjoy reading it. Send comments of encouragement or criticism, either one I will use to help me grow. Thank you so much! Send comments to rhepler@gmail.com Have a good day!
Rick Hepler
