we ALL fall short

It is sad when a person bases their beliefs on their own experience.  When the things that people have done or have failed to do are the deciding factors in what they believe about God.  We cannot see God like we can see people.  And God's people are supposed to be a light and an example.  Maybe you've heard the saying "You are the only Bible some people will ever read" and it is true, our words and actions do matter and they often help or hinder.  But God is not limited to us.  He has shown his power in Creation and he has revealed himself in his Word.  He can save anyone and he can rescue from the most dire situations.

What really saddens me is that there are people who have had the privilege of hearing the Gospel but they stop short of turning their heart to Christ because the people they know who profess to be Christians have not lived it.  And this is the hard, cold reality.  People will fail us.  They are ultimately failing God himself but if we really think about it we are no different.  In fact, we cannot truly come to God unless we see how utterly sinful we are and how much we need a Savior.  The problem we have is that we want to hold on to our sin and blame others for it.

We have our own sin to confess.  God doesn't stop being God when we people fail to love as they should.  I am grieved for people who have turned from God, rejecting Christ and the Gospel and are looking for peace and happiness in all the wrong places.  I know they will come up empty.  I have lived it myself.  I have explored many avenues, all which led me further away from the truth and it was all utter nonsense.  Jesus, only Jesus, is the way, the truth and the life.  There is no other way to be healed and made whole.  Trust me, I tried.

I am grieved for people who have seen such a poor expression of Christianity that they want nothing to do with it.  The sad reality is that we all fall short of the glory of God.  It is OUR sin that we should be most concerned about.  It grieves me that a person can go their whole life pointing the finger at another person's sin and never admit their own.  I want them to turn to Christ.  I want them to be healed and to let go of the tremendous weight they bear because of an unforgiving and bitter heart.  May it never be that we use our difficult upbringing as an excuse to live life the way we want rather than the way God wants us to.

The Bible says "The fool says in his heart 'There is no God'" (Psalm 14:1).  Think about it.  It does not matter who you are.  Whether you grew up in a home with parents who professed to be Christians (whether living it out or not) or in a home where they made no such claim--you are accountable to God for what you have done and for what you choose to believe.  God is not interested in your finger pointing.  He wants to heal all of your hurts, and believe me, only he can.  He wants you to forgive and he wants to forgive you but remember that for all the wrong you see in others there is also wrong in you and your sin separates you from a God who wants to be close to you.

Who among us can claim that we have lived exactly as we ought?

None of us have.  Only Christ.

And this is why we must turn to him.  He alone is the perfectly righteous one who has never, ever done anything wrong.  He is the only one who can declare us righteous based on HIS righteousness.

He is the only one who can heal.  Turn to him, believe in your heart that he is Lord and be saved.  Your soul will not be at rest until you do.