Cannibal Christians; "Eating" our own

I sometimes think that a believer's worst enemy can be other Christians. We look so hard for the faults in other believers that we tend to be a discouragment to them in times of need rather than someone who they can count on to build them up.
We've all went through that before. Every one of us. David is speaking about his friends in Psalm 35. These are the men that he fought along side, that shared meals with him, laughed at his jokes, and made him feel at home while away from his family serving King Saul. But the perception that he was guilty of some wrong-doing changed all of that. They went from friend to foe faster than the fried chicken goes at the church picnic. And that includes trying to kill him! They were accusing him, slandering his name, hunting him down... and David was MAD about it. We've all been where David is in Psalm 35; crying out to the Lord to avenge us, to pursecute our oppressors. He just wants them to get a taste of what God's justice truly is. He tells God all about it.
Yes, unbelievers are watching our every move. Your neighbor who tells you with a smile that "I have my own relationship with God. I believe, and I don't hafta go to church to prove it." or "I pray every day, so what if I don't call myself a Christian?" IS watching every step you take. They are looking for you to actually live a life that reflects Jesus to them. But many of them don't know the restrictions that your denomination has. Most will never know if you are dodging the Volunteer Coordinator before service every week because you know that they are going to ask you to help out with something. Most of your neighbors will never know the way it feels to place you under a microscope to examine your theology or doctrine... and judge you based on what they find. THAT my friends is what we are doing to our brothers and sisters in the faith.
Maybe there is a REALLY annoying guy who is constantly trying to talk to you before or after service. Maybe this guy is struggling in his walk and is reaching out for a friend who has the same values as he is trying to place in his life. Maybe he is messed up and needs someone to talk to and help set his feet on solid ground. Maybe you can't get passed the fact that he is a recovering addict who has tattoos? Maybe all you see is his past, and not the child of God that he is. It could be that there is a single mom who has made so many bad choices in her life that she can't account for them all who has joined your small group. Maybe she doesn't open up like the rest of you do, and all you can do is speculate about her private life? Maybe all you can see is her past, her sin, how different she is from you.
Maybe our issue is legalism. Maybe we want to place restrictions that God never intended for us to live under onto those around us and on ourselves. These are just "Maybe's", but they are the start of a dangerous cycle that can kill and eat up a believer's faith. We are all called to serve. To serve God by serving those around us... annoying, different, messed up, whatever else, just serve. We are called to love the unlovable. THAT is what God is showing us through David in this time of his life. He was patient, loving, and although he prayed for God to strike these people down, he himself spared them when they were in the perfect position to take their lives.
So next time that you feel that someone is right beneath your sword, that they are primed and ready to be stuck down, have the mercy that you would want God to have on you for your own faults. Show the love of Christ to your brothers and sisters in the faith, not just to strangers whom you want to invite to the next church service. Be Christ within your own family, church, and life.

Created about 1 year ago