In Philip Yancey’s book What’s So Amazing About Grace?  He tells a moving story about a minister in Chicago who was ministering to a prostitute.  The prostititute had a  drug addiction and she was supporting her habit by renting out how her 2 year old daugher for kinky sex with men.

    The Minister asked if she had considered asking a church for help.  She responded, “Church?  Why would I  ever go there?  They would just make me feel worse!”.
    How sad.  The organization founded by Jesus Christ is known as a place that would make a woman in need of mercy and love and grace to feel worse?  How has the church gotten to this point?
    Let me explain.  I think we would all agree (hopefully) that when Jesus was on  earth He ministered to all people.  The scripture describes Jesus as a “friend of sinners” (Matt. 11:19).
    Also, I think we would all agree that for a Christian, our goal is to be like Jesus.  Correct?  I think we are all on the same page.
    But, here is where we have tendency to get off the path.  For some reason, in an attempt to “be like Jesus” we can become un-like Jesus.  You might be asking, “What?”  
     We want to  be like Christ.  And in our attempt to be like be Christ we can take on a critical, judgmental attitude.  I am not suggesting that we should minimize or over-look sin.  However, we do need to remind ourselves that while God hates the sin, God loves the sinner.  If our goal is to be like Jesus, we need to remember Jesus encounter with the woman caught in the act of adultery.  Jesus listened to her accusers then He replied, “He who is without sin,cast the first stone” (John 8).   Being like Jesus means living a holy life.  “Holy” means separate. And, in our desire to be “holy” we become, at times, mean and judgmental.  I can tell you that mean and judgmental are NOT traits becoming of a Christian.  
    The apostle Paul said “It is a trustworthy statement deserving full  acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world  to save sinners among who I am foremost of all” (I Timothy 1:15).  
    The next time, you are tempted to judge, remind yourself that we are all “sinners saved grace.”
    Today be Jesus to someone.  Be loving... forgiving...caring.