As Christians one of the most important foundations to cultivate is a heart of mercy.  For example, in my home if one child is getting rebuked for doing something wrong, doesn’t mean the other is righteous, just because we don’t know what they’re doing wrong, yet!  Some people cannot hide the sins they struggle with, while some of us can, fueled usually by the sin of pride…

This is why Christians above all people, should have compassion on those who we can obviously see what their struggle is.  The sin of gluttony and obesity is rarely able to be hidden, or having intense anger issues, or having an addiction to drugs and alcohol cannot be hidden for long.  Those type of sins are generally outward, and people don’t assume you to be “righteous” with such struggles…(Romans 3:10)

But some of us have such a “pristine image” outwardly, that no would suspect that you struggle.  Yet if pride is what we are holding onto rather than Jesus, than we relish in looking better than others, but maybe worse off!  It is better to acknowledge our sin before God, than to be in denial and blind to it, because of the pride to appear better than our neighbor…

The best way to see ourselves as Christians is before what God reveals and thinks about us, because that’s genuine and true!  As long as we measure ourselves by what is obviously sinful in other people, than in some way we find comfort in believing that other’s sins, are worst than our prideful denial!

Romans 3:10–as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;

In other words, trying to posture as if we have no sin is not believable (1 John 1:10).  Even if people never see our sin or suspect of it, we should honor Christ enough to be genuine before Him.  Because it is only by His mercy He hasn’t exposed us for everyone to see who we really are!  This enables us to live boasting in the gospel of Jesus Christ, not some image we project, that we are insecure in anyway.

In His Love, Ld