Disapproval

It is not my place to judge. In fact, not only is it not my place, but as far as the Bible is concerned, it is sinful of me to judge, or be judgemental.
This week, I had a "cyber-chat" with an old friend. Upon reading my blog and seeing my Facebook comments, he could clearly see that my faith in God, and my involvement in church, has significantly grown since we were close friends, during Sixth Form. He has always been very unimpressed with organised religion, and has never made a secret of his suspicions and concerns. But he used a really interesting phrase this week that has remained with me.

"I deeply disapprove of any church stuff."

Those words have been ringing in my head ever since I read them. Deeply disapprove. What do I "deeply disapprove" of? Is there anything that concerns me that much? And if there is, why do I not feel as free as my friend, to express it? Am I giving in to political correctness? Do I actually feel that strongly about anything?

Well, actually, there is something that I deeply disapprove of...I deeply, deeply disapprove of a life with out Jesus. In every part of my heart, soul and mind, I am grieving for those of you who do not have Jesus in your lives. I deeply disapprove of loneliness, and the pressure to survive without any help. I deeply disapprove of a life spent trying to "do the right thing", all the while wasting time on meaningless good deeds, when all you need is the grace and forgiveness of God. I deeply disapprove of a life lived in the lie that everything will be okay, and that "what goes around comes around". I deeply disapprove of a life without the freedom to understand who you really are in Jesus - a loved, cherished and precious child of a loving, all-powerful God. I deeply disapprove of the drab acceptance that we are here by chance, that our amazing minds, bodies and souls are not planned carefully and created for a purpose. I deeply disapprove of a life without the knowledge of true love, a love that spans the ages, is everlasting, completely unconditional and sacrificial. And I deeply disapprove of a lack of hope that God has an amazing plan for our lives and that this life and all that we see, is only the beginning.

I do not disapprove of anyone's choices, lifestyles or beliefs. But I deeply disapprove of you all missing out on the most important thing in all of existence. I desperately long for my precious, wonderful friends to live their lives to the full. The only way to do this is with Jesus. It has nothing to do with relationships, marriage, kids, travel, success, work, finances, holidays, status, promotion, fame, beauty, possessions, or even health. There is only one answer, and only one way.

One Way - Jesus.