Luke 6:37-38a

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.” vss. 37-38a

We’ve become familiar with television preachers over the last decades who delight in using this saying of Jesus to increase donations to their expensive and growing ministries. “Give, and it will be given to you,” they say, as they encourage viewers to send offerings to them. And then they will tell stories of how people have grown rich because of their tithing practices. Because greed is so widespread, their strategy works, and they’ve raised millions of dollars from financially strapped people looking for an easy way to become wealthy. Of course that isn’t anything close to what Jesus had in mind when he was encouraging his disciples to live counter-cultural lives. He wanted his followers to be at peace with the world around them, not judging or condemning, and to give generously to the poor and the needy. The life he described is beautiful! And what a blessing it is to simply love all of our neighbors, even the provocative fools who regularly dominate the daily news cycle. Of course that’s not easy, but some have learned to pull it off, and the serenity with which they live is the envy of all.

Thought for the Day: Why am I so quick to judge and condemn?