I'm thinking today of John chapter 9. This is the story where Jesus heals a blind man
and at first the blind man doesn't know who healed him and he's called before the Jewish
leaders and then later he meets Jesus and realizes it was Jesus that healed him and
Jesus even tells him who he is. In John chapter 9 verse 2, Jesus and the disciples are just
meeting the blind man and the disciples ask him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents
that he would be born blind. To this day people love to make the mistake of assuming that
someone sinned to cause any particular suffering they may be going through. As people of God
it's wise for us to avoid this mentality. If we sin, we confront it, especially in our
own lives or in the lives of those we are responsible for. Even as we do that, we must
not be quick to attribute hardship in a person's life to punishment from God. We also should
not assume that any particular suffering is a direct result of a personal choice. While
it may be true that people suffer particular suffering as a direct result of a personal
choice, that's not our job. That's God's purview. Ours is to reconcile people to God
through Jesus Christ whenever possible. Even Jesus said, I do not come to condemn but to
save. Let us be like-minded. At the same time, sin is a very serious issue and everyone who
cares to listen should be given the opportunity to know that we stand for Jesus and live for
Him, trusting Jesus alone for salvation and following the Lord's commands to the best
of our understanding and ability. This road leads to abundant life through Christ, not
only for us, but also for any who join us in faith and following Christ. God bless you.