Who do I think I am?

“For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.

It is written: "As surely as I live,' says the Lord, `every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'"

So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.” Luke 14: 7-13 NIV

I have a habit of holding strong opinions. I recall a moment in time that is now fortunately more than two decades ago, although still embarrassing. I was having trouble understanding how someone was thinking, I cannot remember what the specific thought was, but I said aloud “Why would God give me an opinion if He did not want me to share it?” My wife looked at me and said, “Who in the heck do you think you are?” (except she did not say Heck, she said some things)

My wife is a special human. She can encourage me better than anyone. She can discourage me faster than anyone. She can also speak truth to me about as blunt as anyone. She proceeded to tell me that I was not only wrong, but that I was arrogant as well. Hopefully I have grown in this area, but she and I talk about the amount of gray area that is in the world. As we have grown older it seems that we both see it in things we used to think were clear.

We both grew up seeing a lot of black and white in issues. Our parents tried to teach us a sense of right and wrong. If you believed something was wrong, then it was probably always wrong and for everyone. A perfect example of this would be in the basic faith we each grew up with. I was taught that people of her faith were lost. As a child I remember actually thinking that John the Baptist was called that because he was Southern Baptist like me. That was not my churches teaching, that was all me. I was around 5 years old, but it is still funny. Ironically, she grew up being taught the same thing about my faith. It was an interesting combination for God to join together.

We lived together prior to our wedding. I fully realize that marriage is God’s plan. I also realize that His plan is better than my execution. However, we did not take our living arrangement lightly. We both felt that God had put us together. We had both decided that our relationship was permanent. Was that “married” from another perspective? If it was wrong then, is it still wrong 30 years later?

We actually asked both sets of parents for their blessing prior to moving to Fayetteville, Arkansas together. My dad asked one question “If I was dead what would you do?” Okay then. Her mom asked if we could afford two apartments. Her dad looked like he was going to laugh but didn’t. He just said, “I don’t want to hire a babysitter for the wedding.” Point taken.

I am not trying to weaken God’s Word, not a bit. I am just saying that I have realized more and more as I go through this life that I am not God. I am more and more thankful that I cannot fathom even a little of His role. I am not God’s lawyer. I do not have to argue Him into existence. He already is. I also cannot under perform so badly that I negate Him. He’s got that covered too.

We see a nearly constant bombardment of opinions. People judge nearly everything: music, preaching style, dress code, jobs, money, parenting and more. You cannot go one day without either a post on social media or a comment in a coffee shop or a story in the news. We judge. It’s what we do.

Acts 15: 39 NIV says “They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company.” This was between Paul and Mark, two of the original 12 disciples. Ironically, God used that split to reach twice the number of people. He ended up with two missionary journeys, not just one. Did He plant that division on purpose?

Can you imagine if we all looked at each other this way? We could actually move without drawing lines that separate us. We could have more love for each other. We could understand that God is more than capable of using things, even if we don’t think they are usable. We could support each other even if we do not agree on everything. We could look at disagreement as an opportunity to be taught something instead of assuming someone hates us or a new word “shaming” us. Maybe we are actually wrong. Sometimes truth needs to be told. Maybe God is using both to accomplish different things we may never comprehend.

What are the stumbling blocks in your life and who put them there?

Are there any stumbling blocks you have placed in someone else’s life? Why?

Everyone has a relationship with Jesus. He is either a Savior or a stumbling block. Which do you want Him to be?

Challenge: Don’t complicate it for you or for anyone else. A simple sincere prayer “Jesus I believe you and I want you as my Savior. I need your grace.” is all that you really need.

Rick Claiborn