Paris received mercy that most just dream about.
Paris Hilton was back in court again, recently. This time she was sentenced to two consecutive six month sentences in jail on misdemeanor drug possession charges and one obstruction of justice charge in Las Vegas. Then, because of a plea deal, she was placed on probation for one year and allowed to pay a $2, 000 fine. For good measure she was also sentenced to 200 hours of community service.
Hilton, heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune, has been in court before for alcohol related driving offenses and drugs. She was sentenced to 45 days in jail once but did only 23 of those days. In Las Vegas she pleaded guilty to the misdemeanors to avoid felony possession charges.
Standing before the Las Vegas Justice of the peace, she admitted her guilt and received her sentence. Because of the probation she walked out of the court to a flurry of photo flashes, and photographers.
Whether deserved or not, Hilton received Justice tempered with mercy. Everyone else in the courtroom that day didn't get the same treatment.
One day we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. The righteous will stand to be rewarded. Fortunately, those who believe in Christ will receive what Miss Hilton received; justice tempered with mercy. We will be found guilty but forgiven because of the blood of Jesus. We will walk into heaven by His grace and mercy although we deserve harsh punishment.
There is a bible passage that refers to our day in God's court; it's in 2 Corinthians 5:10: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things[ done] in[ his] body, according to that he hath done, whether[ it be] good or bad.
For some, their day in court won't be a happy day and they won't be sentenced to the Hilton.
The ungodly will be given eternal punishment and condemned to hell. No probation. No flashing cameras. No community service. No mercy, and no plea bargain. Their punishment is forever.
Showing posts with label Judgment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Judgment. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
She was the bad driver, but he got the ticket
She did wrong, he got the ticket; a case of injustice.
Have you ever been the victim of an unjust decision? Most of us have. It's not a great feeling.
Yesterday our bus driver began negotiating at right turn in a busy Atlanta intersection. As he swung out a woman decided to squeeze pass the bus as it turned. Her move resulted in a fender bender. She apologized to the driver, saying she thought she could make it through the tiny space between the bus and curb. She was very polite, apologetic and humble. When the police arrived, both accounts were told but the officer gave the bus driver the ticket.
The driver was stunned. The lady was surprised because she fully expected to get the ticket. She drove off smiling, leaving our driver frustrated because he felt himself the victim of an injustice.
Injustices may come on a small scale in the case of fender benders or in larger situations such as racial discrimination, intimidations or unfair practices. All injustices, whether large or small, leave victims.
We are surrounded by injustice but we are encouraged to remain just ourselves, remaining firm in our faith.
Habakkuk 2:4 "Behold, ...the just shall live by his faith."
It was an injustice, but our driver is strong. He is a man of faith.
Have you ever been the victim of an unjust decision? Most of us have. It's not a great feeling.
Yesterday our bus driver began negotiating at right turn in a busy Atlanta intersection. As he swung out a woman decided to squeeze pass the bus as it turned. Her move resulted in a fender bender. She apologized to the driver, saying she thought she could make it through the tiny space between the bus and curb. She was very polite, apologetic and humble. When the police arrived, both accounts were told but the officer gave the bus driver the ticket.
The driver was stunned. The lady was surprised because she fully expected to get the ticket. She drove off smiling, leaving our driver frustrated because he felt himself the victim of an injustice.
Injustices may come on a small scale in the case of fender benders or in larger situations such as racial discrimination, intimidations or unfair practices. All injustices, whether large or small, leave victims.
We are surrounded by injustice but we are encouraged to remain just ourselves, remaining firm in our faith.
Habakkuk 2:4 "Behold, ...the just shall live by his faith."
It was an injustice, but our driver is strong. He is a man of faith.
Friday, June 04, 2010
The devil or the umpire stole his perfect game
He pitched the perfect game, then the umpire stole it.
Everyone of us can can can relate to what happened this week to a Detroit pitcher who pitched the perfect game, only to have it stolen from him by an admitted bad call from the umpire. Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga had pitched the perfect game against Cleveland and he was down to the final out. But a botched call by an umpire blew his chance to make it into the history books as only the 21st person in MLB league history, and the first ever Detroit Tiger to pitch the perfect game.
The umpire reviewed the video and admitted he made a bad call; in tears he apologized. The fans protested, millions watched the video on the Internet; they protested too. Baseball's great names and legends protested, but the baseball commissioner refused to reverse the call. He said mistakes and errors in judgment by umpires is part of the game and a part of life.
Perfection. We all strive to achieve it but it always eludes us. We can't ever seem to get everything just the way we want. Sometimes we make it through an entire day perfectly, then at the last minute, something goes wrong and perfection eludes us. We set a straight path the inevitably gets a crook in it somewhere.
While perfection is a goal for us, it is elusive because we are imperfect by design. We live in an imperfect world and interact with imperfect people similar to ourselves. Bad people, bad calls, and mistakes in judgment mess up our lives, whether done by ourselves or forces outside of our control.
That's a bum deal.
Our joy is knowing that we don't have to be perfect in every way. The beauty of being a child of God is that we have an honest judge who will consider our situation in the end and because of the blood of Christ, reverse our imperfections and declare us sufficient to stand before God, worthy of heaven.
2 Timothy 4:8 (msg) says,".. he's an honest judge. He'll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming."
Had the baseball commissioner in Detroit had this passage in mind, he would have reviewed the video, accepted the umpire's statement of perfection and allowed Mr. Galarraga to take his place in history as the first Detroit pitcher to ever pitch a perfect game.
Thankfully, if the devil tries to steal our perfect day, we have a loving God who will do right by us and straighten it out.
We won't ever be perfect, but God will love us perfectly.
That's fine with me.
Everyone of us can can can relate to what happened this week to a Detroit pitcher who pitched the perfect game, only to have it stolen from him by an admitted bad call from the umpire. Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga had pitched the perfect game against Cleveland and he was down to the final out. But a botched call by an umpire blew his chance to make it into the history books as only the 21st person in MLB league history, and the first ever Detroit Tiger to pitch the perfect game.
The umpire reviewed the video and admitted he made a bad call; in tears he apologized. The fans protested, millions watched the video on the Internet; they protested too. Baseball's great names and legends protested, but the baseball commissioner refused to reverse the call. He said mistakes and errors in judgment by umpires is part of the game and a part of life.
Perfection. We all strive to achieve it but it always eludes us. We can't ever seem to get everything just the way we want. Sometimes we make it through an entire day perfectly, then at the last minute, something goes wrong and perfection eludes us. We set a straight path the inevitably gets a crook in it somewhere.
While perfection is a goal for us, it is elusive because we are imperfect by design. We live in an imperfect world and interact with imperfect people similar to ourselves. Bad people, bad calls, and mistakes in judgment mess up our lives, whether done by ourselves or forces outside of our control.
That's a bum deal.
Our joy is knowing that we don't have to be perfect in every way. The beauty of being a child of God is that we have an honest judge who will consider our situation in the end and because of the blood of Christ, reverse our imperfections and declare us sufficient to stand before God, worthy of heaven.
2 Timothy 4:8 (msg) says,".. he's an honest judge. He'll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming."
Had the baseball commissioner in Detroit had this passage in mind, he would have reviewed the video, accepted the umpire's statement of perfection and allowed Mr. Galarraga to take his place in history as the first Detroit pitcher to ever pitch a perfect game.
Thankfully, if the devil tries to steal our perfect day, we have a loving God who will do right by us and straighten it out.
We won't ever be perfect, but God will love us perfectly.
That's fine with me.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Why Y'all hatin on me; don't God say judge not?
Why you hatin on me? The bible says judge not.
That's what the young man said when a member of his church mentioned to him in private that the music on his I-pod and his phone ring tones were inconsistent with the testimony he gave in church. Earlier, the same church member had praised him publicly for his service in the church, his volunteerism and apparent desire to live the Christian life. That didn't matter, the young man went off!
"That's what's wrong with people, they always hatin and judging people. Don't the bible say judge not?" The young man said angrily.
In his mind, people should only tell him what he likes to hear; if there is something he doesn't like, they should not think it or speak it to anyone else.
When our weaknesses are pointed out we call that judging or hatin. When our strengths are highlighted, that's not judging.
When the member praised the young man's good points publicly he made a judgment based on what he saw. The young man had no objection because he perceived those statements as being deserved. When the same member made another judgment and spoke to him in private about his inconsistencies, he called that judging him or hatin.
In reality, the bible encourages us to evaluate the actions of those in the church, but to be careful to evaluate the actions by the same standard we would also like to be evaluated by. Evaluations and judgments based on hearsay, assumptions and perceptions may not be accurate or fair. However, if we report an observation of an action that does not call for speculation or assumption and do it in the manner that the word describes, it is not only scriptural but actually required of all believers.
When we see believers doing good things we should praise them. That calls for a judgment.
When we see believers involved in ungodly pursuits that are harmful and inconsistent with the faith, we should tell them privately. That calls for a judgment, too.
There is a phrase that follows, "Judge not..." Look at John 7:24 "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."
Then there is this passage that really makes the point, "1 Corinthians 5:12-13 "I'm not responsible for what the outsiders do, but don't we have some responsibility for those within our community of believers? God decides on the outsiders, but we need to decide when our brothers and sisters are out of line and, if necessary, clean house."
The purpose of a destructive criticism is to tear a person down. However, the purpose of a constructive criticism is to help correct and build a person up.
Unfortunately, we call anything we don't like to hear "Hatin."
That's what the young man said when a member of his church mentioned to him in private that the music on his I-pod and his phone ring tones were inconsistent with the testimony he gave in church. Earlier, the same church member had praised him publicly for his service in the church, his volunteerism and apparent desire to live the Christian life. That didn't matter, the young man went off!
"That's what's wrong with people, they always hatin and judging people. Don't the bible say judge not?" The young man said angrily.
In his mind, people should only tell him what he likes to hear; if there is something he doesn't like, they should not think it or speak it to anyone else.
When our weaknesses are pointed out we call that judging or hatin. When our strengths are highlighted, that's not judging.
When the member praised the young man's good points publicly he made a judgment based on what he saw. The young man had no objection because he perceived those statements as being deserved. When the same member made another judgment and spoke to him in private about his inconsistencies, he called that judging him or hatin.
In reality, the bible encourages us to evaluate the actions of those in the church, but to be careful to evaluate the actions by the same standard we would also like to be evaluated by. Evaluations and judgments based on hearsay, assumptions and perceptions may not be accurate or fair. However, if we report an observation of an action that does not call for speculation or assumption and do it in the manner that the word describes, it is not only scriptural but actually required of all believers.
When we see believers doing good things we should praise them. That calls for a judgment.
When we see believers involved in ungodly pursuits that are harmful and inconsistent with the faith, we should tell them privately. That calls for a judgment, too.
There is a phrase that follows, "Judge not..." Look at John 7:24 "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."
Then there is this passage that really makes the point, "1 Corinthians 5:12-13 "I'm not responsible for what the outsiders do, but don't we have some responsibility for those within our community of believers? God decides on the outsiders, but we need to decide when our brothers and sisters are out of line and, if necessary, clean house."
The purpose of a destructive criticism is to tear a person down. However, the purpose of a constructive criticism is to help correct and build a person up.
Unfortunately, we call anything we don't like to hear "Hatin."
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Court benches are hard, we all have a bench
In court, everyone sits on the same hard bench
It's a humbling experience when you go to court. Everyone sits on the same hard bench, blending into a sea of nameless faces oblivious of title and position. Every one of the accused is exposed, and completely vulnerable; unable to avoid the embarassing revelations about to be revealed.
I attended a court session yesterday. A former congressman had to appear in court on charges that he pulled a gun on two black youth accusing them of stealing his wallet. I watched the Congressman, sitting on the last row in the court to avoid being noticed. I also watched as he tried to justify pulling the gun. They were not the suspects. He was wrong.
Police didn't jail him because of his status. He missed two other trial dates because of his status. Unable to avoid it any longer he stood before a judge, stripped of title and prestige to answer for his acts.
Standing in front of the judge, he plead No Contest to his charge.
One day each of us will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. It will be a humbling experience that will prove to be an equalizer. Our positions, titles and influence won't matter. When our record is read and the highlight video of our life is replayed, we may have to plead "No contest."
I thought of a bible passage that says, in Romans 14:10-12 "...for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
Like the Congressman we may plead "No contest" or "Guilty" but unlike him our hope is in Christ's promise to intercede on our behalf to get the final sentence -"Forgiven."
It's a humbling experience when you go to court. Everyone sits on the same hard bench, blending into a sea of nameless faces oblivious of title and position. Every one of the accused is exposed, and completely vulnerable; unable to avoid the embarassing revelations about to be revealed.
I attended a court session yesterday. A former congressman had to appear in court on charges that he pulled a gun on two black youth accusing them of stealing his wallet. I watched the Congressman, sitting on the last row in the court to avoid being noticed. I also watched as he tried to justify pulling the gun. They were not the suspects. He was wrong.
Police didn't jail him because of his status. He missed two other trial dates because of his status. Unable to avoid it any longer he stood before a judge, stripped of title and prestige to answer for his acts.
Standing in front of the judge, he plead No Contest to his charge.
One day each of us will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. It will be a humbling experience that will prove to be an equalizer. Our positions, titles and influence won't matter. When our record is read and the highlight video of our life is replayed, we may have to plead "No contest."
I thought of a bible passage that says, in Romans 14:10-12 "...for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
Like the Congressman we may plead "No contest" or "Guilty" but unlike him our hope is in Christ's promise to intercede on our behalf to get the final sentence -"Forgiven."
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