It was a moment that I'll never forget. Thousands of others have gone through the same experience. Yet, every time I watch someone go through this important moment of life, goose bumps cover my arms. The meaning of this great event is the glue that holds society together. No nation can forget the deep meaning of this experience and survive for long. It's foundational to any culture.
I was young and impressionable - but soon became devastated. I was in a prayer meeting with a group of men whom I respected greatly when a pastor looked straight at me and said, "I believe that there's sin in the camp. And, Sammy, you're the one who has sinned." My heart sank. I loved and respected this man. He was one of the best Bible teachers that I have ever heard. My mind began to race. What had I done?
Anyone can love someone that loves them. A few people can love those who are not attached to their lives in any way. But only by the grace of God can anyone truly love those who hate him. Yet, that was the standard of Jesus. He taught His followers to love their enemies, and to pray for those who persecuted them. It's only when we taste the love of God that we are enabled to love our enemies.
Perhaps the greatest test of the spiritual condition of our hearts comes when we are criticized or when we have been wronged. I once heard a friend say that if we had the right attitude, then criticism wouldn't bother us. That attitude - recognize that if people knew the whole truth about us, then the truth would probably be a lots worse than the criticism. The Apostle Paul said, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out" (Rom. 7:18 NIV).
