Crossed Out part 3
I'm sure you've heard the saying, "Mercy is not getting what you deserve, and grace is getting what you don't deserve." Well... that's because of the cross. The cross crossed out any evil accusation that could be leveled against you. The cross washed you clean as snow. It took any stain, or wrinkle, or spot off of you. In other words, "...Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). There's no condemnation in Christ because there's nothing to condemn. Because we've moved out of the appearance realm--the good vs evil realm--and into the realm of the perfect law of liberty. Letting people be who they are and do what they do. And listen, I'm not saying you need to let people walk all over you. But you don't have to retaliate either. You can turn the other cheek. But if someone keeps slapping you and keeps slapping you... you don't have to slap back, but you don't have to stick around either. You can take yourself out of the situation. And here's my advice on that: If you give something (or someone) everything you've got, it's either enough... or it's not. And if it's not you don't have to stay there and suffer needlessly. So we're not condemning people. We're letting them be who they are. Giving them room to learn and grow. Because condemnation, and punishment, and all of that "wrath of God" Old Testament stuff... is over. Let me say it like this, "You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also" (Matthew 5:38-39 NLT). The Law was contrary to us. It was against us. It demanded perfection without being able to produce perfection. All it could do was point out imperfection. So Jesus nailed it to the cross. He brought us out of the Old and into the New. And on this side of the cross we're a New Creature. A New Man. THE New Man. Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. No longer do we make sure people get what they deserve. No longer do we give back what we get from others. Now we've been given something we DIDN'T deserve. Something we didn't--couldn't--earn. We've been given the Holy Spirit. The love receptor. And now we know what we've got. Now we know that we're loved. And now, instead of giving an eye for an eye... we can give love no matter what. Someone hurts us and instead of hurting them back we understand that they're only giving what THEY'VE got. Hurting people hurt people. But loved people love people. We have what they need. And we have what WE need. So it doesn't matter what THEY give us. It matters what DADDY gave us. We have something to share. Something that is so big it when we fill ourselves with the fulness of it... it overflows out of us. Naturally. Because God is light and there's no darkness in Him at all. WE are that same light, and believe it or not, there's no darkness in us at either!