Only One Judge Who Knows the Truth

     At the age of 23, I made a commitment to Christ that would radically change the course of my life.

I had gone to church, been confirmed and was active in my youth group, but it wasn’t until I was in graduate school that I really made Christ the Lord of my life.  This commitment was serious and real for me.  My worldview changed and I saw everything in life from a different perspective.  My sins were forgiven by God’s grace and for that I am thankful.  That is why all this hullabaloo over the SCOTUS nomination has troubled me.  People hurling accusations, labeling others and rushing to judgement has not produced answers.  Instead it has divided us even more.  Why?  The Bible has the answer.

     Romans 3:23 tells us:  “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Then earlier in the chapter vs. 10-18, we read:  “...as it is written:  ‘None is righteous no not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.  Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.  The venom of asps is under their lips.  Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.  Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known, There is no fear of God before their eyes.’”  In these passages, the Apostle Paul makes it perfectly clear that there is no one who is not a sinner in the eyes of God.  With this in mind, why are people quick to point the finger of accusation at others?  Are they somehow exempt from sin themselves?  Not according to God’s Word.

     This past week, I watched as two people were examined by our Senate Judiciary Committee , and the entire hearing made my heart break.  Here was a man accused of a crime he says he did not commit.  His name, reputation and livelihood are threatened by an unsubstantiated accusation.  Likewise, here was a woman who looked disturbed and perhaps was attacked at some point in her life but had only vague recollections.  So where is the truth?  Only God knows for certain and I am praying diligently for answers as I hate injustice for anyone.  Yet there were people out there certain he was guilty just by accusation alone.

      As I looked at the circus going on in the committee hearing, I wondered to myself if anyone there ever thought about what Jesus said to the woman who had been caught in there very act of adultery.

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7b).  Those that had brought the woman to Jesus thought they would trap him because the Law of Moses said she should be stoned.  However, after Jesus said that, they all walked away.  He told the woman that He did not condemn her and that she should go and sin no more.  What a different approach!  Jesus was perfect but we are not.  Therefore, who are we to judge someone else’s heart?

     This past week on Twitter was rather brutal to say the least.  I rarely do much tweeting but I was interested in the news so I went on.  I engaged in several conversations being as civil as I could be and was called a “fool”, unchristian, and ignorant.  Of course, none of these people know me personally nor my character.  How can they be so quick to judge me?  Disagreeing does not need to include name calling which is the lowest form of argumentation.  But the heart of the matter is that we are not to judge one another.

     In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us these wise words of instruction:  “Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.  Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is a log in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-7).

How careful we need to be in what we say to one another and how we respond when disagreements arise.

     Since we live in a day and time of vile language, false accusations and political correctness, we need to think on these things.  Only God can judge a man or woman’s heart and I believe He will reveal truth.  If we have a relationship with Him, we then can have a healthy relationship to one another through Christ.  Without the Lord in our lives our relationships can be rocky at best and toxic at their worst.
     Let us strive to remember a few important things:  Only God can change a heart, attitude or beliefs, we cannot.  We must remember that even as Christians we still carry the flesh around with us and we can fall into sin.  Therefore, we need to be careful not to judge others or name call.  It does not improve relationships.  Along with King David, my prayer is that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart may be acceptable in the sight of the Lord.  Won't you join me in this prayer?
Selah!

He's Still Working on Me!

     Three weeks ago we began a project to fix three rooms that had received water damage as a result of Hurricane Irma last year.  It is not a small thing to move three rooms of living space into the rest of your home.  We have dressers in the living room, a mattress in our study and too many boxes of our "stuff" filling up another bedroom.  This took us three or four days to accomplish so the contractor would have easy access to the rooms.
     Along the way, we began discarding items we had held onto for years and never used.  Fortunately, the church was having a rummage sale and we were able to put these items to good use.  It is amazing how much we accumulate.  This was a great time for a deep clean.  Of course, we have to put everything back in its place when the work is finished, but there will not be as much!
Certainly this whole process is messy and at times uncomfortable, but the same is true when God begins to work on us.
     Philippians 2:13 tells us "It is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for His good pleasure."  He is our contractor and master builder.  In His hands, He changes the desires of our heart, points out our weaknesses, binds up our wounds and sets us on a steady course to use our talents and gifts for Him.  It is a messy process, though, not unlike our construction project.
Sometimes, we do not want to let go of that habit or behavior that causes us or others to stumble.  Having a critical spirit, a sharp tongue to condemn others, being filled with self-pity and lack of contentment can clutter our lives and keep us from the joy we could have in Christ.
     In this letter to the Christians at Philippi, Paul pointed out that God is working in us on a daily basis.  We certainly struggle with any type of changes in life when we do it in our own strength, but with the power of the Holy Spirit living in our hearts, we can become that new creation in Christ.  It is a process however.  There are no "McInstant" Christians who will act perfectly in this life.  God will continue His work in us until we meet Him face to face.  Nevertheless, we still have our part in this process as well.
     Being immersed in His Word each day will lead to changing our minds so that we will think God's thoughts after Him.  It is a living Word that can carefully help discern the thoughts and intents of our heart and point out areas that need attention and repentance.
     Likewise, we need to be praying on a regular basis asking God to show us how we can walk by the Spirit and not get caught up in the circumstances of this world.  Our conversations with our Lord bring us into a closer relationship with Him so that we can hear Him more clearly as we read the Word.
     All of this has been made clear to me through a recent disagreement on a social media site I was visiting.  I made a statement that another party said was "unchristian".  How quickly the world judges us!  Yet, we can answer back that we are not perfect only Jesus is perfect and He is still working on us!  We just have to be open to the leading of His Holy Spirit.
     Yes, I will be happy when our construction work is finished and we can once again enjoy our own bedroom.  No more mess and no more clutter....unless we begin to hang on to things we do not need.
Lets be certain that in our spiritual walk with the Lord we release those things that hold us back from bringing glory and honor to the Lord.  By His grace, we were saved and by His grace, He is at work in us.  May He make us shining lights for His kingdom!  Selah!

Scars Are Just Reminders

     Last year at this time (September 10th at 4:02), we lost our power.  It was not to be restored until ten days later.  The full force of Hurricane Irma swept across our state and hit our rural county with ferocious winds of well over 100 mph.
     I remember trying to play a game with our son, daughter in law and their children by electric camping light as our house creaked and groaned.  We had barricaded our windows, had plenty of gas for our generator and lots of food to tide us over.  Yet, the next day was such a shock to see.  There were trees down everywhere along with parts of our neighbors porch laying in the road.  It took us a long time to clean up the mess.  In fact, a year later, there are still some tarps over area roofs, and we are now just getting several rooms in our home fixed after having some water damage.  Things are never quite the same after a storm of this magnitude, and still, God was with us.
     While there are still scars (leaning trees and dead fallen trees), we have moved on because that is what life in this world does.  We move on after a catastrophe, but we do not forget.  Scars serve their purpose to remind us about what just happened and to be ready in the future should this happen again.
However, scars are also useful in recounting to the next generation how we got them and what we learned in the process.  There are scars not only physically but also emotionally and spiritually.
     All of us have experienced the scars from sin.  In fact, the Bible teaches us "that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).  When we live in rebellion to God, there are consequences whether we realize it at the time or not.  Sex outside the bonds of marriage that leads to an unexpected pregnancy, adultery that destroys the covenant of marriage, emotional and physical abuse are some of the sins that leave us wounded.  The GOOD News is that Jesus Christ provides for us a healing balm like no other.  When we come to Him repenting of our sins, He not only forgives us, but begins to heal these deep gashes in our heart.  But there are still the scars we carry as a solemn remembrance of what sin can do in our lives.
     I carry several scars near my left eye from the three times I disobeyed my mother.  Twice I fell on steps when she told me not to run and one time came from jumping on a roll-away bed where I hit the metal frame.  All three times required stitches, and each time I look in the mirror, I remember just how I got those lovely reminders.  Then, I broke my left arm because I was in hurry to get across an icy driveway.  This required surgery and left a not so nice scar.  If I bump it, I am reminded of the whole scene.  I am healed but the scars remain.  The same is true for us in the spiritual realm.
     God forgives us and removes our sins far from His remembrance..."as far as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103:12).  The only thing He does not remove are the consequences we may experience as a result of our sin.  King David is a perfect example.  David's sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband was pointed out by the Prophet Nathan.  While David repented of such evil sins, God told him that the baby they had as a result of their adultery would not live.  David also did not enjoy peace in his own family from that day forward (2 Samuel 12:10).  There are countless other examples in the the Bible in addition to this one that demonstrate why and how sin leaves painful scars.
     Just like a good parent, I believe that God allows these reminders of our sin so that we will learn from our sins and never go there again.  Furthermore, we can use what we have learned to teach our children and grandchildren to avoid the mistakes we have made.  God uses all things to work together for our good so look at that scar as a reminder that Jesus paid it all for us through His sacrifice on our behalf.  His blood brought healing to those wounds caused by our sin.  This is the Good News we need to share!  Selah!