Even before I could afford a self-cleaning oven, I managed to keep my oven clean. Guests even commented on it when we had them over for a meal. "Wow, your oven is so clean. It looks like new". I accepted the praise even though I knew I didn't deserve it. The reason my oven was clean had nothing to do with my meticulous scrubbing; it was clean because I so seldom use it.
How often, I wonder, am I guilty of accepting undeserved admiration for my "clean life"? It's easy to give the impression of being virtuous; simply do nothing difficult, controversial, or upsetting to people. But Jesus said we are to love people who don't agree with us, who don't share our values, who don't even like us. Love requires that we get involved in the messy situations of people's lives.
Jesus was frequently in trouble with religious leaders who were more concerned about keeping their own reputations clean than they were about the spiritual condition of those they were supposed to care for. They considered Jesus and His disciples unclean for mingling with sinners when they were simply trying to rescue people from their destructive way of life (Luke 5:30-31). True disciples of Jesus are willing to risk their own reputations to help others out of the mire of sin. Christ sends us out to bring others in.
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