Thought of the Day !!

Today's "Thought" comes from a dear friend of mine pastoring down at West Laurel UMC. When I read Roy's devotional, I felt led to share it with others. May you be enriched by God's message this day.


Grace and peace,

Matthew 9:27-38 in The Message is entitled "Become What you believe". The title caught my attention.

We all know the story. Two blind men are crying out for Jesus to heal them. Jesus asks them, "Do you really believe I can do this?" They reply, "Why, yes, Master." Jesus healed them. Become what you believe is an appropriate title because they were blind, but Jesus gave them sight. We are blind until we meet Jesus. When God's light opens our eyes, we see things differently. My daughter had cataracts from birth. Around six, she had surgery to correct her eyes. I will never forget the way she walked around the house feeling the wall paper and commenting, "I didn't know it was this color." She saw for the first time. God wants to open our eyes also.

God wants us to see others as God sees them. We allow culture to influence the way we think. We judge others because of their color, their nationality, their sex, their mental capacity. We all do. We all make judgments about others. We all want mercy for ourselves and law for others. We are quick to condemn others for their weakness, their past, their failings, their mistakes. We forget that God is loving and forgiving. Yes, I know you can quote chapter and verse about how God is going to judge us. Yet, I ask you this: If God can forgive you, will God not also forgive others? If God loves you and accepts you as you are, does God not accept others too?

Sin is destructive. Sin separates us from God. What is the greater sin though? Jesus told us the only unpardonable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. What does that say to us? Divorce is not the unpardonable, but some believe it is. Having tattoos is not the unpardonable sin, but some want to exclude those from God's kingdom that have tattoos. The point is we want to exclude all those who are different from us, that do not meet what we think is necessary to get into God's kingdom. May God open our eyes to see as God sees.

May God open our eyes today. The needs are immense. We need more helpers!

Roy Pearson