Loving Imperfect People
January 27, 2015
Steven Ackley, Associate Pastor | College & Young Adults
Have you ever met a perfect person? Neither have I. It is
the dilemma of all mankind, the sickness of sin and the nature of our fallen
state. Whether we look to our neighbor or look in the mirror, we see a person
deeply affected by the pervasive problem of sin that the Bible teaches is
passed from generation to generation, in the blood of all people, originating
in Adam and Eve. This makes loving one another very hard.
As was established in yesterday’s devotion, we begin by understanding
God’s love for us. Once grounded in that Truth we must admit the reality of our
own struggle with sin and recall God’s gracious and active love for us in spite
of our sin. It is remarkably difficult to love an imperfect person when we have
too high a view of ourselves. It has been said that the ground is level at the
foot of the cross, and that is precisely the place we must meet one another. When
Jesus says that we ought to deal with the ‘log in our own eye’ first, he isn’t
suggesting becoming perfect before initiating the difficult conversation confronting
someone walking in sin. Rather, Jesus is saying that we must humbly see our own
sin and pursue the restoration of others in light of the grace that God has
extended to us. As painfully difficult as it is, to love someone regardless of
their imperfections requires that we first see our own imperfections.
TWEET
THIS: Loving someone regardless of their imperfections requires I
first see my own imperfections. #UpperRoom
ADDITIONAL
SCRIPTURES: Matthew 7:3
