A Soft Shoulder in a Hard World

By Neil Earle

Helping Special Olympians can make you feel better about your world.

(Philippians 4:5): "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near."

Christians should not judge others. We seem to be running out of genuinely nice people. Our world does not seem to have a supply of genuinely nice people. The scripture that comes to mind is: "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."

There are people like that. You meet them at times. They are pure at heart, single focused and not out to get things and cause trouble. The royal law is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. In people's minds Christians are automatically associated with people who are judgmental. Christians are automatically associated with intolerance. The very opposite of what you would expect.

(Psalm 1:1-2): "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night."

What happened to all of the nice people today? What happened to our society today? It could be because Jesus said in Matthew 24: "Because iniquity abounds the love of many waxes cold." Christians are not to be judgmental. You should not let the world determine your approach to people. In Romans 12 it says to not be conformed to the world. We should live God's way. The person who meditates on the law God's word has access to a totally different universe. Christ is already here. Christ has come, is coming and will come again. Christ is already here judging the heart.

Who wouldn't enjoy working with young people like this group from South Africa?

This is the age of extremes. Extreme behavior and violence and many other extremes we face today. We should always be ready to forgive. We could be great Christians if it was not for the other people. It is everyone else who makes it so difficult to be a Christian. We should be fair-minded to the other person's faults and merciful in the judgment of their failings because God takes their whole situation into account. Is not that the way you want to be judged. You want God to take the whole situation into account. We are not to judge the world. Jesus Christ will do that. Today people are hard hearted and hard headed.

(Acts 4:32-37): "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet."

We should have the courage to listen to the church who is our mother. The church speaks to us in a soft and kind gentle voice.

(Acts 9:26-27): "When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus."

Why is it that those with the least do the most. It just seems to be a rule of faith. Faith is not illogical.

Three things to think about. Three questions about ourselves we need to ask.

1. Are we growing in empathy? Empathy means you can put yourself into the situations of other people. Empathy means you can understand other people where they are coming from.


2. Are we extending forgiveness? We can because we are Christians.


3. Are we constantly extending in the word of God? We should because we have God's Holy Spirit in us and the Lord is at hand. We should live with God on our side.

(James 3:13-18): "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."