As I sat this morning on the porch, I asked the Lord if there was anything He wanted to say or wanted me to know. I waited quietly and then like an inner whisper I heard "I came into the world, not to condemn the world but to save it".I went to the Moffatt's translation and read the familiar passages in John 3:16 and following..For God loved the world so dearly that he gave up His only Son, so

our front porch

that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life, instead of perishing. God did not send his Son into the world to pass sentence on it, but to save the world by him. My next thoughts were, do we condemn or have we sentenced those in the world already? I thought about how Jesus was attracted to those who were lost, demon possessed and they were to Him. He even sought them out. Do we attract through our love like He did or do we sentence and condemn? I have had this on my mind all day. Jesus seemed to have an acceptance that the world wanted. Only the religious pharisees and even some of His disciples had a disdain for those who they thought were "sinners", who didn't exactly measure up or follow their rules. I love the story of the woman with the alabaster box who was scorned when she poured the expensive perfume on His feet and wiped them with her tears. The pious disciple in John 12 was annoyed at her waste of expensive ointment and the motive of the heart was at that moment exposed. He wasn't really interested in the poor but the love of money had already blinded him from the the true meaning of what Mary did. Those who have been forgiven much love with extravagance just like He does. I know the Lord was showing how quickly we can deviate from His real message and His true mission. We need to remember why He came. Not to condemn, or pass sentence but to introduce them to Him. Like Mary their lives will be changed forever and will pass the love on just as they were loved. Some of us have forgotten have much we have been forgiven and our love has grown small. I love what Danny Silk says, when Love is small, Law is big.. Hmmm a good barometer that we can check our love with!