Potato Soup : )

Made another meatloaf last night.  It was delicious!  I baked a couple of potatoes and steamed some broccoli to go along with it.  YUM!  Aaron and I were stuffed afterwards.  I've got some homemade potato soup cooking in the crock pot right now.  I think it will be YUM, too : )  Going to make some cornbread a little later.  I'm going to make it like my Mama makes it.  NOT in a cast-iron skillet. 

A friend of mine from work is going through a tough time right now.  I hate to say it, but most of it could have been avoided.  However, we all make mistakes.  However, again, we MUST be willing to pay for them and live up to the consequences.

The things she's going through have made me think a lot about America's judicial system and how imperfect it is.  Of course, nothing on this Earth is perfect.  Recently she got mixed up with her ex-husband and was charged with assault.  Finally after weeks of meeting iwth lawyers, counseling and other madness, they met in court for the hearing.  She was found guilty and now has domestic violence and assault in the 3rd degree on her record.  Not to mention that a few weeks before the assault incident, her ex-husband gave her notice that he was taking her to court for the custody of their daughter.  This friend of mine is one of the nicest, most sensitive people I know.  This mix-up with her ex was truly mixed up because really HE'S the one who should be up against the court system.  He just really isn't a good person... at all.  I don't think he even tries.

So now her ex has a one-up on her in the custody battle since she is now a "convicted felon".  All the times they have met with lawyers and have gone to court, his evil ways and bad history of practically been ignored.  It just seems to me, and everyone else that knows the situation, that the guilty party in this huge mess has yet to be punished and will probalby continue to dodge the truth, while the innocent one is paying for more than she bargained for.
   

I know things like this happen, even higher up in the courts.  Sometimes, unfortunately, innocent people are sent to jail while the guilty walk free.  Well this is mainly because men and women are the ones doing the judging.  As humans, we cannot know all the details and know the entire truth at all times.  This brings me to a better thought.

There is a greater Judge than any of us have ever known, the perfect, sinless Christ (John 5:22; Acts 17:31).  Unlike our Earthly judges, everyone of us will have to answer to Him (Rom 14:10,12; 2 Cor 5:10).  We can be rest assured that this Judge will know exactly who is guilty and who is innocent (1 John 3:20).  We can have confidence that if we are truly innocent or righteous that God will give us the appropriate reward (2 Tim 4:8; James 1:12; Rev 22:12).  This goes the same way, though.  The guilty or unrighteous will also receive an appropriate reward (1 Cor 6:9,10; Gal 5:20, 21; Rev 21:8).  We have all the days of our lives to decide if we will be found innocent or guilty.  At the second of our last breath, it is too late.

I just wanted to make the point, to anyone who might be reading this, that it is very VERY important to be found righteous in the sight of God (1 Peter 3:12).  How can we be found righteous? 1 John 3:7 says those who practice righteousness are righteous.  What should we NOT practice? Fornication, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, drunkeness to name a few (1 Cor 6:9, 10; Gal 5:20, 21). 

What SHOULD we practice? We should practice love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness and faithfulness (Gal 5:22).  Who do we love?  We are commanded to love our neighbors and our enemies (Matt 5:44; Matt 22:39.  However, the great command is to love God, love Him with our all our heart, soul and mind (Matt 22:37, 38).  How do we show God that we love him?  We keep his commandments (John 14:15).  Not the ones we like or that fit our lifestyles.  We keep them ALL.

How can we be found guiltless before God on the day of judgment? ... by keeping his commandments.