No Perfect People

But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." John 8:7

"There's no such thing as perfect people. There's no such thing as a perfect life." These are words from a song of Natalie Grant. The song describes we are all broken and scarred and we can only be changed by our God, a perfect God. We don't need to masquerade as righteous and holy. When Jesus told them, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.", He knows there's no such thing as perfect people. We all have sinned. We are all imperfect. We are all in need of God's mercy and forgiveness. God knows about this. Jesus knows about this. And we must know about this, too.

Everybody has value. There will be no highly or lowly regarded. We see every one as equals. We listen attentively to anyone not looking upon their status in the society. We will consider everyone's opinion not looking upon their educational background. We will magnify each one how much significant is their contribution.

Everybody is accepted. There will be no out of place person in the room. We will stretch our arms to anyone. We will turn our eyes to anyone who needs care. No color considered. No position required. No one will be put down. No weakness will be specified.

Everybody needs encouragement. A good word will be available to my boss or to the person who reports to me. We will be extravagant in giving affirmation and honor to anyone. We will stand by anyone if they need a wall to lean on. We will point everyone to what lies ahead. We will live as cheerleaders.

Everybody is loved. Our hearts will know no ID. We will feel affection for the familiar and unfamiliar. We will be like the sun; our brightness will shine on everyone. We will be like the moon; we will light everyone's night. Everybody will receive our love letters, by our deeds and by our spoken poetry.

God alone is perfect. No stone will be thrown for no such thing as perfect people. We should know this.

God's Blind Side

She replied, "No one, sir." Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, (and) from now on do not sin any more." John 8:11

He was born and have grown up on the other side of the town. That side where he was thrown in the scrap of waste of life. His mother was a drug addict and he and his sibling tended themselves to find food and go to their schools. No one looked after them. No one cared. Nobody knew them. Until, a family or specifically the mother of one family took him on their abode. She saw his future not his past. She saw his promise not his limitations. She (They) loved him like he was never loved before. This is the story behind the movie, The Blind Side. When other people saw the bad, this family saw the good. When other people saw the past, this family saw the future. They saw the blind side. Something people must see but they do not. And when their family saw the blind side, they saw what he can be and not what he has been.

Such is God to us. Jesus did not saw the sinner, he saw the sin. He did not condemn the woman, who was caught of adultery, He gave her forgiveness. Jesus did not focus on the iniquity, He has His eyes on the opportunity. Jesus chose to see what we people must see yet we ignore to see. He sees the goodness in each person we meet day after day. Despite a person's imperfection lies within a heart full of grace, and this is where God's eyes are glued upon.

If at some point, we have sinned against God, remember He forgives. If at some point you have fallen short of God's laws, keep in mind God never condemns. If at some point you bit the wrong fruit, be reminded God sees what you can be and not what you have been. He does not see our darkness, God sees our bright side. And that, my friend, is God's blind side.

Upset

Then each went to his own house. John 7:53

Its truly the march of madness. A low seeded basketball team defeats the number one seeded college ball club. That's what you call an upset. These college teams are ranked by some method based on their performance in their past games. Analyzing their ranks requires probability to win over another. Thus, high ranked teams has high probabilities to win over low ranked teams. However, these are not embedded on stones. As the tournament begins, upsets happened. A highly touted college team goes home after succumbing to a lesser-expected-to-win team.

Nicodemus sent them home. Yes, he sent his fellow Pharisees and the guards, who were trying to condemn Jesus about His teachings and His works, to their homes. Nicodemus was only one. They were surely more than him. He has the low probability to be heard. His friends outnumber him so they have the higher probability to stand out. Yet, Nicodemus gave his best shot. His probability to be heard was low when he cited the law. Not withstanding he was outnumbered, he spoke about what he believes in. And he pulled an upset.

Are you ready for your own upset? Are you ready to speak out for what you believe in? You may find yourself at the opposite side of the majority. You may have the lowest probability for people to lend their ears to. You may have the lowest rank among people whom people will take seriously. You may get the whisper powered microphone in the room. But when you speak the truth. When you speak about God's law. When you stand up for what is right. God plus you is majority. Send them home. It's not madness, expect an upset.

Reminder

Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them, Does our law condemn a person before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing? John 7:50-51

He was only one of the members. He was only one voice among many echoes. One experience with Jesus might have change the way he looks at things. The Pharisees are making a judgment on Jesus yet they have not heard from Jesus or have not seen what Jesus was doing. And at this point, Nicodemus reminded them about the law, "Does our law condemn a person before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?" No matter how the situation places Nicodemus' reminder as out place, he made up his mind to remind them. When the crowd and the Pharisees were going nowhere, Nicodemus gave them a reminder about the right way. When his troops were clogging in a dead end, Nicodemus reminded them of what takes away the clogging.

We should be like Nicodemus. We should remind people the right way when our friends are taking a wrong path. We should bring light to their clouded hearts and minds by being a reminder. We should take God's laws into heart as we help people remember His directions to fullness of life. Even when the reminder will be unpopular, speak like Nicodemus. Even when the reminder will be shunned, stand up like Nicodemus.

We should listen to Nicodemus. If a brother or a sister reminds you of God's ways, embrace the reminder. Give your full attention to your pastor, to your priest, or to your leader when they remind you when you are out of your mind. Carefully digest that Lucado book you are holding, as it reminds you of His love and His mercy. Turn your ears one-hundred percent to your wife and daughters who reminds you of God's fatherly love. Welcome a reminder in your midst. Welcome a Nicodemus in your life.

Be reminded and be a reminder.

Division

So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. John 7:43

Theoretically, division in mathematics makes sense. When you divide any number with one, the answer would be that any number. For example, 25 divided by 1 is still 25. The number is not diminished since you have one as the divisor. But when you have a number greater than one as the divisor, the dividend will be divided into parts. And all these things makes sense.

However, during Jesus' time and our times this does not makes sense. Because of Him, the crowd was divided. He is a prophet as some will say. Some say He is the Messiah. Some wanted to put handcuffs on Him. Because of one Person, this world is divided. Our world is divided. It should not be this way, yet we are divided. Approximately and presently there are 38,000 Christian denominations. We believe in Jesus who is one yet we go divided as we go to different churches. Aside from this, as Catholics, we also have different charismatic communities. Even we belong to one catholic church, we are divided.

We believe in one Christ. We follow one Shepherd. We worship one Lord. We believe in one God. To make matters sensible, it is our task to gear for unity not division. Pray for unity in the church. Speak about unity in the church. Work for unity in the church. We should be mathematically correct. And this makes sense.

Refuge

God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. Thus we do not fear, though earth be shaken and mountains quake to the depths of the sea… Psalm 46:2-3

Two earthquakes in two months. One nation was devastated. Another stood firm and had minimal damage. As the earth shook on these two countries, Haiti suffered the most compared to Chile. Though the scales read further in Chile, Haiti and Haitians bogged down to a weaker quake. News around the web claims that Chile was ready for the unexpected and Haiti wasn't. With stricter building codes, in place emergency responses and experience in seismic catastrophic events, Chile chilled during the shaking sand.

One lesson is to be learned. It's not how much strong is the earthquake, its how much ready and prepared you are when the quakes come.

In life, we can be prepared with quakes and catastrophes when we have God as our refuge. He is our shelter to unsettled circumstances this life can bring. God is our protection when life around us shakes and disarranges our concepts. He is our safe haven when the very foundations of our society or family bogs down due to the changing times. Distress and stress can lead us to trembling hours yet we will not fear and we will stand firm with God as our refuge. As unexpected turns of life give us instability, we will depend in the strength we have in God. No matter how strong is the life quake is, what matter is that we have God.

Bring on the quakes. Be prepared and be ready. With God as our refuge.

Exchanged

They exchanged their glorious God for the image of a grass-eating bull. Psalm 106:20

One of the favorite shopping feature my wonderful wife loves about is that, in United States, you can exchanged anything you bought from a store. Sometimes no questions will be asked. Sometimes, the customer service representative will inquire about the reason for the action yet they will do the exchange arrangement. Other people take advantage of this as even if they have used or worn the goods, they go to the store and bring the goods back. The product you bought can be exchanged with other products or with the same amount of money you bought it. I can cite several rationales for exchanging goods you got from a store: the product doesn't fit you, the product is not working, the product is not what you expected, or the product was more costly compared to other similar goods available in the market.

Sometimes, we see God as a product. We readily exchange God. Like the Israelites who looked to a bull rather than to God.

When God does not fit into our life plans, we replace Him with our dreams. We erase Him in our hearts and follow our selfish ambitions. When it seems your world is getting small with your big God, we choose the small world rather than our big God.

If life seems not working well with God, we exchange Him and settle for something else. Disappointment or discouragement can provide this scenario and bring us to a decision to allow someone or something to take God's place in our lives. When things are not working with God, we do the work ourselves and this will further give us disappointments.

You expected God to do a thing or two for you but He did not. Next sequence will be, God is in your bag at that customer service center. We dictate on what God should do and not the other way around where God should tell us what to do.

There are times in life where we look God as more costly to follow than following our own pleasures. This should be the case. This is true. God is more costly than anything else in this world since He is worthy. If we look deeper, living our lives for God is not equivalent to the glory of our God. If we spend our earthly life on something, spend it on the most worthy.

God is not a product. Don't take advantage of Him. Don't let Him be exchanged.

Scripted

(But) take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. Matthew 6:1

There is a funny theory on Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) games as scheduled games are played in best of something series. When the series are in the quarterfinals up to finals, hardcore fans sometimes find the series to be “scripted”. Fans predict the outcome of the series by alternating the winner every game. They perceived the basketball series to be some kind of income generating for the PBA as more games are to be played. Sometimes the prediction comes out right but sometimes it falters. The myth of the games being scripted becomes an imagination of witty brains thereat.

As we come into the Lenten season, it comes to mind we are coming into a season which is very much scripted. Jesus will be despised. Jesus will be rejected. Jesus will be sentenced. Jesus will be crucified with thorns. Jesus will be carrying a cross. He will drop but will pick himself up as that cross takes its toll on the his weakening body. He will be nailed to the cross. He, on the cross, will be in between two robbers. Jesus will die for our sake. Jesus will defeat sin. Jesus will rise to claim victory over death. See, it it very well scripted. We know what will happen. It is not a myth or a product of playful minds.

The only part of the script which can be change is our portion. Will we give more to God or give less? Will we fast more or indulged ourselves more? Will we do charity more or take more for ourselves? Will we spend more time praying or spend more time playing? Will we be more righteous or more sinful?

Jesus’ lenten season is scripted. What’s your script?