85SugarVol
I prefer the tumult of Liberty
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2010
- Messages
- 32,424
- Likes
- 63,601
This probably won’t come across the way that I feel it but I’m gonna give it a shot.Yep...happened to me a couple of years ago...saved for months to buy this really nice Samsung TV...and some scumbags busted in my back door while we were gone on a cruise and stole it...I only had it 5 months.
I'm a lower middle class working guy...I don't have much of anything nice, and if I get anything nice I have to work for it...that TV was nice and some piece of lazy scumbag took it from me...and busted up my whole door in the process.
I really can't express how much I hate thieves....especially thieves that steal from poor working people.
It’s probably going to surprise you, but McGill is going to agree with all of this.This probably won’t come across the way that I feel it but I’m gonna give it a shot.
I have a disdain for people doing the wrong thing in general and especially not having any personal accountability. I was raised in the poorest county in Tennessee, so I’ve seen a lot of thievery, laziness, drug/alcohol abuse, and just general all around poor citizenship/decision making. I used to hate those people, because it was clear that they didn’t care about right/wrong and didn’t value anyone or anything but themselves. In my eyes they had no redeeming qualities and there was nothing that could redeem them.
Then I reconnected with a man named Jesus, Yeshua, the prince of peace, the savior of the world, THE redeemer who lives. My pastor and many of the people I go to church with were some horrible drug addicts and they are now some of the best people you could hope to meet. Many were thieves. They stole from their families to get drugs, they cared about no one and nothing but themselves. Much like myself. See I’ve never been a thief, nor a drug addict, alcoholic, abuser. I thought I was a good person. Much better than those awful people, right? But I had my own sin. It didn’t look like theirs, but it was sin nonetheless. And my sin hurt people as well. More related to being sexually immoral. No sin is better or worse than the next. Who am I to cast judgement?
I’m glad Jesus never gave up on me. I’m glad he didn’t think I was too far gone to be saved. I’m glad he saw past the drug riddled past of my brothers and sister at church and redeemed them. I’m glad he forgave the thief on the cross. I’m forever grateful that he forgave me when I didn’t deserve forgiveness.
So I have a little, well, a LOT different perspective than I used to have. I still hate the sin, but I’m working on being more loving to the sinner. It isn’t my place to write anyone off as “unworthy”, it’s my job to love them and show them a different path, a path of love and light. I’m not there yet. I still catch myself having feelings of loathing and disdain towards those who I know are being “bad”. But I also know how Jesus would want me to treat them. So it’s an ongoing process.
I know I probably don’t come across very well on here sometimes, and it may not even be evident that I’m a Christian because I have a sarcastic sense of humor that can seem smart alec. Something I’m working on.
Anyway, that’s my .02 on the subject. I still can’t stand thievery and and illegal activity in general. I have family and friends who are still heavily in addiction and drive me crazy acting like the world owes them something. But I’m trying to be more like Jesus and less like me.
Yes...I agree with that, I was all those things myself, but I didn't steal from poor working people...but that doesn't make me better...just different.This probably won’t come across the way that I feel it but I’m gonna give it a shot.
I have a disdain for people doing the wrong thing in general and especially not having any personal accountability. I was raised in the poorest county in Tennessee, so I’ve seen a lot of thievery, laziness, drug/alcohol abuse, and just general all around poor citizenship/decision making. I used to hate those people, because it was clear that they didn’t care about right/wrong and didn’t value anyone or anything but themselves. In my eyes they had no redeeming qualities and there was nothing that could redeem them.
Then I reconnected with a man named Jesus, Yeshua, the prince of peace, the savior of the world, THE redeemer who lives. My pastor and many of the people I go to church with were some horrible drug addicts and they are now some of the best people you could hope to meet. Many were thieves. They stole from their families to get drugs, they cared about no one and nothing but themselves. Much like myself. See I’ve never been a thief, nor a drug addict, alcoholic, abuser. I thought I was a good person. Much better than those awful people, right? But I had my own sin. It didn’t look like theirs, but it was sin nonetheless. And my sin hurt people as well. More related to being sexually immoral. No sin is better or worse than the next. Who am I to cast judgement?
I’m glad Jesus never gave up on me. I’m glad he didn’t think I was too far gone to be saved. I’m glad he saw past the drug riddled past of my brothers and sister at church and redeemed them. I’m glad he forgave the thief on the cross. I’m forever grateful that he forgave me when I didn’t deserve forgiveness.
So I have a little, well, a LOT different perspective than I used to have. I still hate the sin, but I’m working on being more loving to the sinner. It isn’t my place to write anyone off as “unworthy”, it’s my job to love them and show them a different path, a path of love and light. I’m not there yet. I still catch myself having feelings of loathing and disdain towards those who I know are being “bad”. But I also know how Jesus would want me to treat them. So it’s an ongoing process.
I know I probably don’t come across very well on here sometimes, and it may not even be evident that I’m a Christian because I have a sarcastic sense of humor that can seem smart alec. Something I’m working on.
Anyway, that’s my .02 on the subject. I still can’t stand thievery and and illegal activity in general. I have family and friends who are still heavily in addiction and drive me crazy acting like the world owes them something. But I’m trying to be more like Jesus and less like me.
Agree with all of thatYes...I agree with that, I was all those things myself, but I didn't steal from poor working people...but that doesn't make me better...just different.
I still despise thieves that steal from poor working people...I can/will forgive them if or when they repent, but until then they are just thieves that deserve what they get.
If you don't have to repent to be forgiven then nobody is lost.. and everybody gets a "get outta hell free" card.
Repentance means changing...I will go through hell with people who have repented or are sincerely trying to...I have and will continue to do so.
And to add...you can 100% tell when somebody is really trying.
I do want to add, so I don’t come across as some bleeding heart, I do believe in personal accountability. Imo it’s the whole way God set up this world. We all have free will and choices. We will all make mistakes, but there are consequences to those mistakes. It’s up to us to learn from those mistakes and sins and do/be better.Yes...I agree with that, I was all those things myself, but I didn't steal from poor working people...but that doesn't make me better...just different.
I still despise thieves that steal from poor working people...I can/will forgive them if or when they repent, but until then they are just thieves that deserve what they get.
If you don't have to repent to be forgiven then nobody is lost.. and everybody gets a "get outta hell free" card.
Repentance means changing...I will go through hell with people who have repented or are sincerely trying to...I have and will continue to do so.
And to add...you can 100% tell when somebody is really trying.
Thanks for the post.This probably won’t come across the way that I feel it but I’m gonna give it a shot.
I have a disdain for people doing the wrong thing in general and especially not having any personal accountability. I was raised in the poorest county in Tennessee, so I’ve seen a lot of thievery, laziness, drug/alcohol abuse, and just general all around poor citizenship/decision making. I used to hate those people, because it was clear that they didn’t care about right/wrong and didn’t value anyone or anything but themselves. In my eyes they had no redeeming qualities and there was nothing that could redeem them.
Then I reconnected with a man named Jesus, Yeshua, the prince of peace, the savior of the world, THE redeemer who lives. My pastor and many of the people I go to church with were some horrible drug addicts and they are now some of the best people you could hope to meet. Many were thieves. They stole from their families to get drugs, they cared about no one and nothing but themselves. Much like myself. See I’ve never been a thief, nor a drug addict, alcoholic, abuser. I thought I was a good person. Much better than those awful people, right? But I had my own sin. It didn’t look like theirs, but it was sin nonetheless. And my sin hurt people as well. More related to being sexually immoral. No sin is better or worse than the next. Who am I to cast judgement?
I’m glad Jesus never gave up on me. I’m glad he didn’t think I was too far gone to be saved. I’m glad he saw past the drug riddled past of my brothers and sister at church and redeemed them. I’m glad he forgave the thief on the cross. I’m forever grateful that he forgave me when I didn’t deserve forgiveness.
So I have a little, well, a LOT different perspective than I used to have. I still hate the sin, but I’m working on being more loving to the sinner. It isn’t my place to write anyone off as “unworthy”, it’s my job to love them and show them a different path, a path of love and light. I’m not there yet. I still catch myself having feelings of loathing and disdain towards those who I know are being “bad”. But I also know how Jesus would want me to treat them. So it’s an ongoing process.
I know I probably don’t come across very well on here sometimes, and it may not even be evident that I’m a Christian because I have a sarcastic sense of humor that can seem smart alec. Something I’m working on.
Anyway, that’s my .02 on the subject. I still can’t stand thievery and and illegal activity in general. I have family and friends who are still heavily in addiction and drive me crazy acting like the world owes them something. But I’m trying to be more like Jesus and less like me.