Guilty as Charged

I am guilty. Of almost every sin under the sun. Well, not technically, so u try to guess which ones. Well, if you knew would you think of me differently? Would you avoid me and not show me grace and love? If God, in His wisdom, counts me or others in the Kingdom, would you not also embrace people automatically -- even if they have unique or distinctly different personalities, opinions, and interests from you? So, we may not claim Paul's specific claim to be "chief among all sinners" but we are sinners, whether we recognize it or not.

1 Timothy 1:15 "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief ."

Full of Yourself

There is a saying, "It's hard to be humble when you know how great you are." How can any of us living in a big city not grapple with the spirit of narcissism? Madison Avenue (advertising) tells us we ought to feel this way and operate this way. It is part of the marketplace make-up. When you meet someone new or someone you know casually, 'it's all good'. When is the last time you tried to impress someone with being dour, somber, or vulnerable? Great first and last date right? Who in the marketplace will buy anything from a salesperson who does not exude confidence and ego? Who wants to be with people who aren't "happy" and "better" than them? What is the right perspective then? How shall we be different as believers and live our lives according to the Gospel in this fast paced, highly caffeinated broken world? How about acting less like a sophisticated urban yuppie and more like a tax collector.

Luke 18:13"But when the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'