TOP TEN REASONS IT'S O.K. FOR ME TO BE HOLIER THAN THOU

Greetings and Salutations all of you "other people". Welcome to MY world. It really is hard to be humble when you are...well...ME...and I know that you agree with ME. When I get up to sing before MY public...I warm up my running a few scales...like...ME, ME, ME....ME, ME, ME. By the way...don't I Iook pretty in pink as my alter ego...CAPTAIN LOVE?

DISCLAIMER: For the uninformed...this Rambling is a tongue in cheek look at attitudes.

In this world we live..and die in...everybody seems to be dying...well at least the famous people are dying...or should I say infamous? It seems that when those who live the lifestyles of the rich and famous pass away...they become magnetic fodder for opinions of the non-rich and famous...and those rich and famous who have not died yet. Michael Jackson, Steve McNair, Elvis Presley, Adolph Hitler, Martin Luther King, and anyone else that you can think to list...all have something in common with Rodney Boyd. They all put their tights on...one leg at a time. Well...I do perform a triple spin and land in them...but other than that we are all the same. At this time...I would like to present the TOP TEN REASONS WHY IT'S O.K. FOR ME TO BE HOLIER...THAN THOU (that would be you). The opinions run the gamut from...Michael Jackson is the Messiah to Michael Jackson is the scum of the earth...or Steve McNair is a saint...just look at his good works and his love for children and charities...to...Steve McNair is a thug of a football player on the same level as Pac Man Jones...who is an adulterer...a fornicator...BUT man can he play football. Emotions run from devastation that our icons have passed away and now we need to immortalize them...to gleefully glad that they are dead with no sorrow or remorse for our emotions. Let's forget these people for a while and focus on ME.

#10 Because I am ME...nuff said.

# 9 For God so loved Rod...that He gave His only begotten Son...if Rod believes Rod shall not perish...but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 Rod Style). The rest of you will have to fend for yourselves.

# 8 On the surface...I am a nice guy. There is no need to scratch beneath the surface...all you need to know is that I am a nice guy.

# 7 Hey...I am a Christan. Thank God I am not like these other yahoos.

# 6 I don't commit sins like homosexuality, fornication, adultery, stealing, getting high, getting drunk, looking at pornography, child molestation, lust, smokin' and drinkin' and chewin'...and hangin' 'round women that be doin'. NOTE: It's always easier to point to what other people are doing...to distract away from what I am doing.

# 5 I am a legend in My Own MIND.

#4 I do good works on a regular basis...more than ye all.

# 3 My denomination is far superior to your denomination.

#2 At least I am not one of those godless, mumbo-jumbo religions. I follow Jesus not man made rituals.

AND THE # 1 REASON IT'S O.K. FOR ME TO BE HOLIER THAN THOU....

IT'S ALL ABOUT ME BABY...IT'S ALL ABOUT ME.

Well...how stupid is that list. What can we do...to combat the arrogance and stupidity of us thinking that we are better...superior to anyone else? Well... if we are going to be a follower of Jesus...we might as well follow Him...and act like Him.

Paul lays it out...that "...there is NONE righteous...NO NOT ONE. (Romans 3:10)...He follows that thought up with "...for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

God's heartbeat was...and is for the WORLD...not just Christians. "For God so loved the WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son...that WHOSOEVER believes in Him would have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

Why did God send Jesus into the world. John 3:17 lays out the reasoning behind God's actions. "For God did NOT send the Son into the world to JUDGE the world...but that the world should BE SAVED THROUGH HIM." He continues... "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already...because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God...and this is the judgment...that the light is come into the world...and MEN LOVED THE DARKNESS...rather than THE LIGHT...for their DEEDS WERE EVIL. For everyone who is EVIL hates the LIGHT...and does not come to the light...lest his DEEDS SHOULD BE EXPOSED...but he who PRACTICES the truth comes to the light...that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." (John 3:18-21)

The problem is...even though Jesus did not come into the world to judge...we feel that once we have been cleaned up by grace (unmerited favor, free gift, the divine influence in the heart...manifested in our lives)...that we can now take out our fingers...and begin to point out and judge others who are NOT LIKE US. We develop a hard-nosed...holier than thou attitude...that makes it very hard for us to LOVE THE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD...who really do need a Saviour.

We like the idea that we are AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST...and MINISTER'S OF RECONCILIATION...but we really don't know what that is. We think our job is to expose everybody's sin...and take a record and account for all the bad stuff they are doing...keep an account/tally of their sins...SO they will know they are sinners and then...we invite them to church....but clean up your act first...and then we will love you.

II CORINTHIANS 5 is a great chapter that defines what are attitudes should be towards the lost.

"Now...all these things are from God...who RECONCILED us to Himself through CHRIST (yoke destroying, burden lifting, oppression removing, healing power of the Holy Spirit Acts 10:39)...and gave us the MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION." (II Corinthians 5:18)

Verse 19 defines what the MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION IS..."namely that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself...NOT COUNTING THEIR TRESPASSES AGAINST THEM, AND He has committed to us THE WORD OF RECONCILIATION. Therefore...we are AMBASSADORS for Christ, as though God were entreating through us...we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God...He made Him who knew no sin to BE SIN ON OUR BEHALF that we MIGHT BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM." (II Corinthians 19-21)

NOTE: We always like to say...well...I don't hate the sinner...I hate the sin. (insert Bronx cheer here). In our finite minds...we can't separate the two.

To get to II Corinthians 5:18-21...we have to pass through II Corinthians 5:14-17:

1. The LOVE of Christ has to control us
2. WE must come to the conclusion that one died (Jesus) for ALL (not just Christians or repentant sinners)
3. Because He died...ALL DIED (Galatians 2:20) The work of the cross is all inclusive...however there are requirements.
4. He (Jesus) died for all. WHY? That they who live should no longer LIVE FOR THEMSELVES...but for HIM WHO DIED AND ROSE
AGAIN ON THEIR BEHALF.
5. THEREFORE: This refers to the previous verses and sets the tone for what follows
6. FROM NOW ON...we recognize NO MAN ACCORDING TO THE FLESH. I think this means that I will no longer look at anyone through my fleshly, earthly, judgmental eyes and that I will no longer look on what I see on the surface. I begin to look on man/woman/human through the eyes of God...and do not COUNT THEIR TRESPASSES AGAINST THEM.
7. THEREFORE...refers to what we just read...IF ANY MAN IS IN CHRIST...he is a NEW CREATION...the old things passed away...behold NEW THINGS HAVE COME.

NOTE: For those who are about to have a conniption cow....We don't just blindly close our eyes to peoples sins...but we do begin to DEMONSTRATE GOD'S LOVE TO THEM...the same way that GOD DEMONSTRATES HIS OWN LOVE TOWARD US...in that while we were YET SINNERS...CHRIST DIE FOR US. (Romans 5:8)

Galatians speaks to those who continue to practice the deeds of the flesh...how they will reap the flesh...BUT we are called to RESTORE THEM "Brethren...even if a man is CAUGHT (gotcha) in ANY trespass...you who are spiritual (not holier than thou)...RESTORE such a one in a SPIRIT/ATTITUDE OF GENTLENESS...looking to yourselves, lest you too be tempted." (Galatians 6:1)

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY

Well...this issue will not be resolved for everyone. People will continue to sin (Christians and non-christians alike). People will continue to feel superior to those who are doing the sins that they are not doing. People will continue to count peoples trespasses against them and judge them. People will still witness to the sinner hating the sin...and the fact that they are doing the sin...BUT maybe, just maybe, we will begin to have a GOD'S EYE VIEW...love them...present the gospel...the DBR...the Death, Burial, Resurrection...nothing more, nothing less and allow people to make their choice...and let God deal with them.

Love and Very Non-Judgemental Kisses
Rodney "Have Mercy On Me Lord" Boyd