Accepting Other People's Addictions
When we have struggled with an addiction, we can tend to accept and understand our own addiction, and yet judge
other peoples addictions as being more gross, evil, or disgusting than our own. You may have been an alcoholic or drug addict,
but judge and condemn someone with a sexual perversion problem. Or you may have had a pornography and masturbation addiction,
but look at someone else with an eating disorder or self abuse problem with disdain or contempt. Everyone seems to hate and
judge smokers these days. Sometimes we even judge others with the same addiction we have, but who just have a worse problem
with it than we do. We like to think of ourselves as being better than others. This kind of view is hypocritical and unmerciful,
and God is not pleased when He has forgiven us for our sins, and then we go and judge others who commit sins that we think
that we are beyond doing. Here is a short story Jesus told about someone who made this same foolish, fatal mistake;
MT 18:23 "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay,
the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 "The servant fell
on his knees before him. `Be patient with me,' he begged, `and I will pay back everything.' 27 The servant's master took pity
on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28 "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed
him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. `Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. 29 "His fellow servant
fell to his knees and begged him, `Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' 30 "But he refused. Instead, he went off
and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were
greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 "Then the master called the servant in.
`You wicked servant,' he said, `I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy
on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until
he should pay back all he owed. 35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother
from your heart."
We need to remember the great mercy that God showed us in our helpless, hopeless, and addicted state,
and that even though we may not share the same addiction as someone else does, or have as bad of a problem with the same addiction
as someone else does, that we must try to understand that all addictions have the same roots of pain that have damaged
someone emotionally and spiritually, but they just come out in different ways through different types of addictions. Unhealed
emotional pain pushes people toward pain relievers (addictions), so we need God to heal us to stop the addiction. Even many
people that molest and rape were once molested and raped as children. Is what they do confusing, infuriating, and illegal?
Yes, of course. But we must not place ourselves above other people and pridefully judge them, or we will in turn receive judgment
for the things that God has forgiven us for. Pray for those whom you do not understand, and root out all pride and unrighteous
judgment you have harbored in your heart toward them. God can only help and use the humble, so be merciful even as God was
with you.
JAS 4:That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
RO 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point
you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God's
judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the
same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance
and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
LK 6:37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
JN 8:1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where
all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in
a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the
act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6 They were using this question
as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the
first to throw a stone at her." 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away
one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened
up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn
you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
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