Living among Convicts!

 

I love my time that I get to spend with convicts. 

I don’t call them convicts. 

That term is so derogatory and doesn’t define who they are. I am not sure how I got to this thought this morning. Sometimes when I study scripture one thought leads to another and I go down one “rabbit hole” then another and another. I was reading Luke 10 and 11 today and found Jesus’ boldness toward religious leaders refreshing and inspiring. Jesus spent a lot of time with the outcasts of society and those who had positions of honor and power, received many rebukes. But, my thoughts this morning led me to this scripture:

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:31-36)

As I look through the list of the hungry, the thirsty, strangers, naked, and sick, all these people are suffering through no fault of their own. So many circumstances out of our control affect where we stand in life. Maybe, someone is sick because they didn’t take care of themselves. Maybe you are a stranger because you hate people. For this most part, though, this list of struggling people are victims of their circumstances. It makes sense that Jesus would have compassion for them. 

What about the prisoners in this story?

While there are prisoners who have been wrongfully convicted, most have made the mistakes that led to their current condition. Yet, even knowing that, Jesus made “convicts” a priority. That personal compassion provides all of us an example to be followed. 

Stephanie and I have been fortunate to spend time with many people who have made mistakes, suffered with incarceration, and now are trying to put their life back together. I am so inspired and encouraged to live among a bunch of convicts who are seeking the Lord! They face so many barriers, but I also see the Lord working in their lives in amazing ways.

There are many people in our society who look down on those who have been convicted of crimes. I hate to tell you….WE ARE ALL CONVICTS. Don’t you remember?

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” (Romans 3:23-24)

We have all been convicted of crimes against God. We are ALL convicts! We are not better than someone who has served time in prison or jail. We are not superior; we all deserve worse than what we have received. I praise God for the gift of salvation and the debt he paid for me. Looking upon all people with compassion is the message of Jesus. Loving people regardless of their past, their sins, their convictions, is really a priority.