Daily Prayer 1.29.14 Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven – Luke 6:37 From the very earliest moments of human history God required His creation to judge the right from the wrong, the wholesome from the unwholesome, God’s way from the way of sin. Even prior to the advent of human beings we see that God, in preparing the conditions for life, engages in a great judgment, or rather, a great separation, as chaos is set aside and held in check in favor of order. The history of the Jews as God’s people is a saga of choosing, as God requires them to distinguish themselves from surrounding cultures by adhering to God-ordained law and ceremony. In the process, people are duly appointed judges to ensure that God’s people understand and choose what is right and do not become corrupted by what is wrong. Later, Jesus and His church articulate the myriad ways His followers are to judge between right and wrong, constructive and destructive, that which brings life and that which brings death. So how are we to understand Jesus’ admonition not to judge? Surely Jesus is not advocating a lobotomized “I’m OK, you’re OK” abdication of justice and principal? The answer lies in the shades of meaning around the word “judge”. All people of good will are required by decency to think, reason and discern what is right and good behavior. Christians do this in light of the natural laws of God displayed in His creation, by the Word of God as set down in story and code, and by the example of the living Word, Jesus Christ. Christ followers must judge, but in judging we must never condemn. We must judge what is right and what is wrong, but we must do so with a deep and abiding conviction that we, too, carry the same seeds of evil within us. Absent this conviction we fall into judging others without compassion, of smugly censuring without mercy, of self-righteously passing verdict on the guilty. We must remember that, in truth, the enemy is not the sinner, but sin itself, and sin is in us all. In this world, none of us escapes the mantle of rebel against God, yet every one of us is willing to extend love, compassion and mercy to that sinner we meet in the mirror each day. To love God and follow Christ is to be able to discern what is evil, name it, judge it and abhor it, yet love the child of God who is ensnared by it with the same depth of mercy we would feel if it were us—because surely, it has been. If we are truly God’s people, judging evil should not be an occasion to gloat but reason to tremble at our collective need of His grace. Good morning, all! Please remember in your prayers: Mark A.’s friend Tom who is recovering from surgery. Jan’s cousin Charlie, as he heals. Don, for the healing of his sore hip. Sharon, for the healing of her hip. Dan, recovering from his eye surgery. Armando and Teresa, both struggling with health issues. In praise that Bret is going on an African mission with his college youth group, and he led devotions last night! Debbie, as she searches for a job. “Lord, Jesus Your ways are not always simple, nor are they easy. But in faith I believe they are right, and by Your Spirit I trust I can know them and obey them. Keep me alive to Your will this day, I pray in Your powerful name. Amen.”
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 17:22:59 +0000
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