Title: When We Become The Judge Of The Character Of Others Disunity Will Flourish In The Congregation And Gods Name Will Be Tarnished Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. (Ps. 34:13) Search Me O God - https://youtube/watch?v=rF8mcI5Ovnw What a POWERFUL message from the Lord. God is calling each of us this morning to stop being a talebearer. This morning the Lord is reminding us that disunity will flourish among the members of our congregation when we use our lips to be talebearers. You see my friend, as the writer of the lesson points out, the purpose of talebearing is to make the talebearer feel more superior to the other person. This can only occur when we focus on the faults of others instead of our own faults. God doesn’t want us to spend our time comparing ourselves with the other members in our congregation. At the end of the day, every single member in our congregation, including ourselves is a sinner in need of the transforming blood of Jesus Christ. All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No character flaw is bigger or smaller than the other. Sin is sin no matter how we may look at it as human beings. Here God is reminding us to shift our focus away from the mote in the eye of our brother and sister and to focus our attention on the beam that exists within our own eye. If each of us should take a close examination of the disunity that may exists within our congregation, we will see that the word of the Lord to us this morning is true. God is calling us this morning to allow the Holy Spirit to take full possession of our heart so that we can see each other the same way that God sees us and them. “Instead of gossiping, thus creating mischief, let us tell of the matchless power of Christ, and speak of His glory.” (Ellen G. White)”. Only those who wash their filthy garments in the blood of the lamb will desist from being e talebearer. Only those who have allowed the Holy Spirit to take full possession of their heart, soul and mind will stop talking negatively about others. Only God can truly help us to remove this attitude from our congregation so that we can be united in Jesus Christ. Thanks Lord for reminding me to keep my eyes upon you and my heart in your hands. Only you can make us do what is right and pleasing in your sight. To speak the word of God with faithfulness is a work of the greatest importance. But this is an entirely different work from continually censuring, thinking evil, and drawing apart from one another. Judging and reproving are two different things. God has laid upon His servants the work of reproving in love those who err; but He has forbidden and denounced the thoughtless judging so common among professed believers. Those who are working for God should put away all unkind criticism, and draw together in unity. Christ desires His soldiers to stand shoulder to shoulder, united in the work of fighting the battles of the cross. He desires the union between those who work for Him to be as close as the union between Him and His Father. Those who have felt the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit will heed the lessons of the divine Instructor, and will show their sincerity by doing all in their power to work in harmony with their brethren. (Review and Herald, October 29, 1901 – Ellen G. White) The practice of passing judgment upon others is common, indeed, it is almost universal, even among those who claim to be Christians. Many regard it as a mark of superior discernment to criticise the motives of others. But in the light of the Saviours words it is a very serious thing thus to sit in judgment upon another. The wisdom displayed in discerning stains upon the character of others is that described by the apostle James, which descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. When one by his words or deeds gives occasion for unfavorable judgment, the consequence must come upon his own soul. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. But it is not safe for finite man to take upon himself the responsibility of judging others, for we cannot read the heart. Self-centered human beings are inclined to judge according to appearances, and hence make grave mistakes. More than this, they are themselves imperfect, and for this reason are not qualified to sit in judgment on others. The Saviour says: How wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brothers eye. When one is very forward to criticise and try to correct others, it is too often the case that he himself has faults, of which he may be all unconscious, that are far more serious than those that he condemns, and thus even when he tries to correct others, his efforts may do far more harm than good. How much more when he sits in judgment to criticise and condemn! If men could see themselves as God sees them, they would have such a sense of their own weakness and defects, and would see such a work to be done for themselves, they would have such a sense of their own need of the long-suffering mercy of God, and the forbearance of their fellowmen, that they would have no disposition to judge and condemn others. (Signs of the Times, March 14, 1892 – Ellen G. White)
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 11:31:52 +0000
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