Today’s Verse:
I am clean, set apart, and sanctified (1 Corinthians 6:11).
In Context:
Some of you were like
that. But you have been purified from sin; you have been dedicated to God; you
have been put right with God by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our
God. (1 Corinthians 6:11 GNT)
Chapter 6 of 1 Corinthians is Paul writing to the church of
Corinth. Right before this verse, he
lists out a number of sin/sinners who will not inherit the Kingdom of God, and
then goes on with verse 11 to note that some of us were these sinners and have
now changed. Thus, the verse about being clean, sanctified, and set apart,
which is sometimes hard for me to accept or say about myself because I don’t
always FEEL clean, sanctified and set apart (well, maybe the set apart section,
but in a different way than I think they mean). That said, I also struggled with whether or not to write
out the full context of this verse, starting with verse 9, so I did not write
it out. I struggled because it lists out very clearly the type of sins and
people who will not inherit God’s Kingdom, including slanderers, drunkards,
thieves, adulterers, idol worshippers, and others. Unfortunately, I believe
these verses (and others similar to them in the Bible) have been used to
justify pulling our love away from certain people who are a large part of our
society today. Some people use it as an excuse to exclude and judge
others. I do not believe God intended
for us to take this verses and use them for hate and treating others with
disdain. Jesus did not avoid thieves,
adulterers, and slanderers during His time walking the earth; in fact, he
sought out these children of God and chose to dine with them, heal them, and
encourage them. Why would we do any less
for whomever we come into contact with daily?
I admit, at one time
or another in my life, I have been guilty of several of the sins mentioned in
these verses, and I have many family members and friends who are in the same
imperfect boat with me. The world is
much different than it was in Paul’s time. Much is accepted by our current
world that was not accepted back then.
We have to grow with the times and seek God’s guidance in how he would
have us to deal with new situations and ways of living, doing, and being that
are not so straightforward or easy to understand. And mostly, what always comes to mind for me
when I think of those whose lives are different from mine, whose experiences
are different from mine, and even those whose beliefs are different from mine,
is that I need to LOVE like Jesus did.
Love covers all. (Above all, love each other deeply, because
love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8)
So, in renewing my mind today, I ask myself, and you too, if
you choose to participate…one question, do I love others deeply? No matter who
they are, what they have done, or what choices they have made in how to live
their lives? Do I love them unconditionally? Or do I quantify my love based on
what I’m comfortable with? I can’t
honestly say that I never judge others, and I certainly can’t say I never
sin. So, I am seeking a middle ground,
somewhere to start….learning how to love those I normally might be
uncomfortable with loving because they are either too different or maybe too
similar to me. J I choose to start each day from here on out
asking God to teach me how to love deeply, and I choose to look forward to the
growth and changes this will bring about in my life rather than simply being
content to stay in my own little comfort zone, never knowing what could have
been if I had just opened myself up to His work in my life and all the
opportunities and possibilities that go with surrendering completely.
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