Greg Laurie Daily Devotion
Friday, October 14, 2011
The Truth about Intolerance
Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. —2 Peter 3:3
Probably more than at any other time before, there are people who claim to be spiritual. If you ask someone, “Do you believe in God?” they might say, “Well, I am a very spiritual person. Now I am not into organized religion, but I am very spiritual.”
By that, they mean they take a little of this and a little of that and throw in some of their own ideas, and then they have their own belief system they have effectively created.
I have found that the most intolerant people are those who talk the most about tolerance. Christians are often accused of being intolerant, but I find that is not the case at all. I find that a true Bible-believing Christian, though he or she wants others to believe in Jesus and will try to persuade them of their need for Christ, is tolerant. By tolerant, I mean they are willing to accept that other people can have their beliefs.
We don’t force our beliefs on anyone. We don’t threaten to take their lives if they don’t believe. We try to persuade them. We do it lovingly. We reach out to people in need and show compassion toward them through our actions. Sure, we want people to come to faith, but we truly are tolerant.
On the other hand, the people who are intolerant are those who talk all the time about tolerance. They are the ones who say, “I believe we should all just get along, and everyone should be able to live as they please and express their opinion.”
But if you dare to express your opinion as a Christian and say the Bible is the Word of God, they will accuse you of being narrow-minded and bigoted. In actuality, they are not tolerant at all.
Summary sentence: Often times the most intolerant people are those who talk the most about tolerance.
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