Notice on a slight format change:

Except for July 2012, these are mostly a collection of current devotional notes.

July 2012 is a re-write of old quiet times. My second child was born Nov 11, 1987 with multiple birth defects. I've been re-reading my QT notes from that time in my life, and have included them here. They cover the time before the birth and the few years immediately after the birth. They are tagged "historical." I added new insights and labeled them: ((TODAY, dd mmm yy)).

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

QT 3/31/2026 Exo 21:12-36, We need to stand up for truth with gentleness and respect to the hearer

Exodus 21:16 (ESV) —

16 “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.

 

NOTE: The passage is actually quite long. Our church publishes QT passages so that we can discuss them among ourselves. I chose only verse 16 because it fits well with my QT from yesterday (3/30/2026) on the value of people. Slavery, where people are bought and sold as commodities is clearly labeled as wrong, with the penalty of death to the slave trader.

 

Men and women are created in the image of God and that does not change based on an aspect of them. They are deserving of dignity and respect. That does not excuse behavior or mean their conduct is okay, but they deserve our compassion and love. So whether they are homosexuals or trans-people or same-sex married or drunkards or liars or gossips or children who do not obey their parents (Rom 1:24-32), they (and we) are all sinners. Only Jesus can rescue us from sin. A person who is born again will try to not sin. And will be successful at times. But just like Paul, at other times, we do the things we do not want to do.

 

But anyone who encourages sinful behavior, I have to wonder if the Holy Spirit resides in them. You can love the sinner without sacrificing gentleness, dignity, and respect for the person. The media seeks to portray Christian behavior as judgmental and unloving -- that is not a true Christianity. Yes, sin is sin, there is no excuse, but we need Jesus, whatever our sins are.

 

PONDER:

  1. Do I realize that despite a person's sins, he or she deserves dignity?
  2. When asked about the cultural issues of the day, do we say the truth or do we shrink back? We can still communicate truth in gentleness

 

PRAYER: Father, help me to be honest and communicate the word of God to people. I want to treat all people with dignity and respect, even for those whose sin I hate (such as same-sex couples raising an opposite sex child). I can still love them.

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