I am going to a prison event this weekend and was praying about it and getting prepared this morning when I thought of another prison event in Georgia that I went on.
The day after that event I wrote in Words for the Day of well-meaning friends who are concerned about my health advising me to stop and smell the roses. At the time I had been going hard traveling everywhere speaking and trying my utmost to spread the Gospel. Subsequently my former Sunday school teacher, Terry Powell, wrote and said, “I believe what we were doing at the prison last night was ‘smelling the roses’, or more rightfully ‘The Rose!’”.
I respectfully disagree with Terry in that any of those guys smelled like a rose; they smelled more like boar hogs to me, but his point about serving Jesus is a valid one and I get it.
Though we have not known each other but a few years, my brother in Christ, Terry, is one of my favorite people in this world. He wrote: “Bob . . . I have never had a friend like you. And I can truthfully say that to a few other friends. Friendships ordained by God are all unique. Supernatural friends I call them. I know that if were it not for Jesus I would have never met you.
Hmmm . . . Supernatural friends . . . I like it.
I love supernatural friends too, they admonish me when I’m off track, cheer me when I’m down, comfort me when I grieve, reassure me when I don’t know which way is up or down, embolden me when I face the enemy, inspire me to be the best I know how, hearten me that things can work in this unworkable world, and kick my butt when I start feeling sorry for myself and begin to wallow and launch a pity party complete with warm milk, cupcake, and lighted candle.
In short they care about me and love me.
News Flash: For all you atheists and non-believers that refuse to unsubscribe and harass me constantly, take note; your supernatural friends straight out of hell don’t give a damn about you.
I ask those guys in prison all of the time how many of their brothers from the hood are coming into the prison to see them, how many dope dealers or guys from the neighborhood bar have come to see them; how many of those gals that hung out when they had money in their jeans are visiting. Heck their own families won’t even come see them, much less those reprobates.
You want to know who comes to see them? Those followers of Jesus Christ, who don’t know them from Adam, but in spite of that minor detail, love all and serve all. We are their supernatural friends powered by a supernatural God who in His own words said in John 15:13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Now check out Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Hmmm . . . God didn’t let our sins stop Him from being friends with us. In fact, He expressed the highest form of friendship by giving up His life for us BEFORE we got saved. How much more so should we emulate that . . .
Selah . . . That means stop, rest, and meditate on this . . .
Okay someone is a homosexual, criminal, adulterer, thief, murderer, liar, has HIV, Gonorrhea, and syphilis, is a coveter, gossip, angry mixed blood white/black/brown/yellow man, murderer, his feet stink and he doesn’t believe in God.
Now what?
Love the sinner and hate the sin(s) . . .
Okay all of you legalistic, judgmental, condemning, self-righteous, religious men and women, can you get by those sins and see a lost soul that needs the love of Jesus blanketing them? Or are you still hung up on the fact that I used “damn” in this “supposed” daily devotional and you really in your heart of hearts don’t give a damn if that sinner I just described is damned to hell for eternity? Damn it!
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
1 John 3:1
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know Him.
September 15 2016 – Click here to listen