The Name Game.

"I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it." Revelation 2:17. Words can hurt. That old "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." saying couldn't be more wrong. People say things whether in general or specifically to one person, that can rock them to their core. It can hurt them, it can cause one to feel remorse. Some people don't know how to hold their tongue and the after effects can be dreadful. Jesus spoke only of the truth. His words brought forth reality in people's lives. He healed. He is the definition of "right". He spoke wisely and with such insight. He never spoke down on people or called some unruly, cruel epithet. The way He referred to people was with respect and He thought no less of one person than he did any others. Names can be signs. They can have deep meanings. They can be of wisdom, grace, of peace. Some of the names I hear called around the school are so rude, so immature, so degrading. They show the cruelity and darkness inside people. But, God knows no darkness. He only lives in light, He only accepts the light. He calls on us by name, knowing each one of us deeper than we know ourselves. His name alone screams greatness and truth. Our names also have meanings, to Him especially. Recognizing ourselves in the light, finding our meaning through Christ, is important. But, not only do we need to recognize that within ourselves but also within everyone around us. We also need to shine our light upon them, ditching the negative cruelity that seems to be everywhere around us today. Surrounding yourself with people who see your light and recognize their own should be a priority. It is needed if you expect to grow in Christ. Be positive in your walk. Live in the Word. Learn from the teaching of our Savior. Grow. Spread. And pour your knowledge and love for Christ all around you.

The Metaphor of Fruit.

Jesus used the metaphor of fruit to give us the proper criteria for judging. Matthew 7:20. It says "By their fruits you will know them.". We're told to judge people, and also ourselves, by the fruit that is produced, by the fruit someone bears, that is what we are to judge by. Everyone judges, everyone gossips, but that doesn't make it right. Be slow to judge others and quick to judge yourself. That is written in my devotional for today, I read it right before I told myself I would come upstairs and write a blog over judgement. I've posted about this before, but I still see it everywhere. It hurts to know that people can be so rude, so careless about their words, so inconsiderate. In the school, it is terrible, you can't take a step without hearing someone say something about someone who just walked by, or someone who that person claims to "hate", yet they don't even know a last name. We are to judge based on the criteria Jesus has laid out. There needs to be a realization. Jesus didn't just say things because he enjoyed the sound of his own voice, but because he wanted us to listen. He wanted us to hear what he was saying, because we need his voice, his insight, his teachings.

He tells us to "beware of false prophets..". This too requires us to judge, we need to be able to tell the difference between truth and falsehood. This is shown, the two are separated through the fruit that people bear. This fruit cannot be judged based on our own values. It cannot be judged by earthly values, such as the clothes someone wears, or the amount of money we have in our name. We must judge based on heavenly values, like the ones stated in Galatians 5:22, we need to judge based on "love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, and self-control.". Those are values we need to see, those are the fruits we need to produce. Seeing people in that image, or even trying to show those values through our thoughts, words, and actions, seem to bring out a brighter side of people. It shows that we are being guided through what is right, based on the standards of God, not those of which so many people have set as true here on this planet.

"Our tendency is to judge based on appearance. But God judges based on what we produce, and so should we."