When You Love Someone

My wife and I went to visit our grand daughter yesterday. It was totally worth the trip just to hold and cuddle that soft, warm little baby. So much love! However, on the return trip we experienced a different kind of "love".

It is very close to the end of the month and, although I have heard police departments say they don't have ticket quotas, they DO have budgets with a certain amount of anticipated income based on issuing tickets. Is it just coincidence that we tend to see more police cars on the road at the end of the month than at any other time? I think not. But I digress.

Back to our trip home yesterday. We were just about home when I noticed a car parked on the side of the road. I slowed . . . just in case it was a cop car. And it was. State patrol. He was mainly interested in cars heading in the opposite direction and that's where our Bible lesson for today begins.

We passed the cop car and sure enough, here came some cars towards us, heading in his direction. They were dead meat if they were speeding. The State Patrol usually lets you get away with a few miles and hour over but not many.

I flashed my lights and the on-coming traffic - a warning that there was a police car waiting for them just around the corner. I don't do that often but I felt like doing it yesterday for some reason - perhaps it was for this story. LOL!

I looked in my rear view mirror and saw the cars hit their brakes. They were probably breaking the law by speeding and I assume they were thankful for the warning.

As we continued on our way home I began thinking about how we are ALL speeders in God's eyes. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We are guilty of breaking God's law. So who is warning us about OUR transgressions?

God's Word and The Holy Spirit. SO what do we learn from the lesson of teh speed trap? Read The Bible daily. Seek God's rebuke in your own lives before confronting a sinful brother or sister. We are not to judge those outside the church. I speak only about correcting a wayward member of God's family. And when we do so, exhibit grace and love. They will thank you for it. At least they should. All these things do in love and you will be blessed.

"Better is open rebuke than hidden love. " - Proverbs 27:5

"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted." - Galatians 6:1

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector." - Matthew 18:15-17

When Should You Confront Someone About Their Sin? - John Piper
When You Love Someone - Bryan Adams