Before You Judge

     Growing up, I was privileged to work in the school library at C.D. Brillhart Elementary School.  While I tended the books, I also checked out many of the biographies and autobiographies.  I loved reading about people especially the great heroes and heroines of history.  I learned so much that is often overlooked because people are three dimensional not one dimensional.   There is so much below the surface that we do not know about until we investigate more closely.  People are much like icebergs.  We only see a small portion above the surface, but often there is a much larger section below the water.  This is why I was so taken with the documentary "Warriors of Honor" that I discussed in my previous blog.

     On the surface, Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were merely Confederate soldiers defending the South and the issue of slavery.  However, there is so much more to these two men than we could possibly know unless we examine their lives more closely.  I fear that we all jump to conclusions far too quickly, or we allow ourselves to be stirred up by social media or the press.  When this happens, we may join the crowds in pronouncing judgements that are not well informed.
     Unfortunately, this happens in the church of Jesus Christ as well.  Many a good person has left a fellowship because of innuendo, gossip or judgement based only on a one dimensional view of that person.  Pastors and other leaders have also felt the sting of unfounded statements made by members of their church based on incomplete information.  This is why the Lord Jesus Christ told believers in the most important sermon He ever gave (The Sermon on the Mount) that we should be careful not to judge others:  "'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 brothers, '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 7:1-5, Reformation Study Bible).
     When looking at this verse, we have to be careful to see what it is not saying.  We should discern between what is evil and what is good. This is what we are to do.   The footnote to the verse in the Bible explains it well:  "Jesus prohibits one kind of judging, but approves a different kind.  Condemning others for their faults or failure to exercise forgiveness; only a gentle and humble criticism that first recognizes one's own greater faults can help.  There is also a necessary discerning kind of judgment that does not condemn but distinguishes unbelief from belief..." (Reformation Study Bible, digital edition, Chap. 7:1-5 footnote).
     If we set ourselves up as the standard of conduct, we have placed ourselves in a very precarious position.  Are we perfect?  Do we have any faults?  According to the Bible, the only standard by which we can measure our lives is the Word of God.  Indeed, this is what Jesus is saying.  Before we can pronounce judgment on another person, we must first examine our own lives.  Then, we can assist a brother or sister in Christ if we see an issue in their life, but we must do so out of love and not condemnation.
     Lately, social media has been infected with poison and hysteria when it comes to national issues and our president.  People are seeing only one dimension as presented by the press or one party or another.  Instead, we need to be discerning and get the whole story.  Name calling, judgmental pronouncements and some of the vile things I see written about our leaders breaks my heart.  As Christians, we must be careful to step back and get the whole picture looking at both sides of the coin thoroughly.  This is true of the church as well.
     Judging others harshly only builds walls, damages relationships, and sets us up in a position that can only be filled by Christ.  He, alone, will judge the world one day.  As believers, we can speak our mind, but we must do so in a God honoring way not with hatred, vile words, or pronouncements of judgment on others.  Let us be fact finders first examining both sides and the history behind a person or position.  Then, we can comment.  However, let love, mercy, grace and forgiveness lead us in our speech because God is hearing and seeing all that we say and do.  One day, we will be held accountable for how we have used our words.  Therefore, let our words be sweet because one day we may have to eat them.  Selah!

Give Thanks IN All Circumstances

     As I was looking at my Facebook page the other day, I saw a link for a historical documentary entitled "Warriors of Honor".  Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson were the focus of this movie, and being a history buff, I decided to watch this.  It was the best decision I could have made as I was blessed watching this video.  Both men were Christians and loved the Lord with all their hearts.  Their faith in God played a big role in the way they treated their men during the Civil War and how they conducted themselves in their private lives.  I was so encouraged, and I learned some things I never knew.  So when I turned to my Scripture reading for today, the verse from I Thessalonians fairly leaped out at me.

General Robert E. Lee

   In his letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul wrote these words to the church (I Thessalonians 5:16):  "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  At first glance, we often think how difficult this is to do.  "Give thanks in all circumstances" can be a sticking point for any one of us especially if we have recently faced illness, loss or hardship.  Yet, upon closer look, we see in this verse an important word "in".  God does not ask us to give thanks "for" our circumstances but to give thanks "in" our circumstances.  Some of the things that happen to us in this life are devastating so it would be hard to be glad about them.  However, since our citizenship is not of this world, we can thank God in the hard places for He is certainly with us.  There were several examples from this documentary that proved this to be true.
     History records that a total of 620,000 men died in the Civil War.  During the battle of Gettysburg, alone, one-fourth of the Union forces and one-third of the Confederate forces were killed.  This was a mighty blow to the forces under the command of General Robert E. Lee.  Following this battle, Lee called for a day of fasting and prayer.  Every man observed this and spent time reading the Bible, praying and fasting.  As a result, nearly 15,000 men repented of their sins and gave their lives to Christ.  I had never heard this before either in my history classes or in books I had read about the Civil War.  15,000 souls were saved as a result of a day of fasting and prayer following a huge defeat.
Despite the circumstances, General Lee felt the call to put God first.
     Stonewall Jackson also found a way to give thanks to God in all circumstances as well.  In Virginia, his home state, it was illegal to teach African American slaves to read or write.  However, after services in his Lexington Presbyterian Church, Jackson offered a "special" Sunday school class for the African American slaves where he taught them how to read and write.  He was deeply concerned for their souls and shared the Gospel with them at every occasion.  Once again, I was surprised as I learned this for I had never heard this before.  General Jackson was breaking the law, but he felt it was important to teach these precious souls to be able to read the Bible for themselves.  Following the war, many of these freed slaves went on to lead successful lives as a result of his tutoring.
     Circumstances can change in a heartbeat, but we can remain steady if our first priority is giving thanks to God in all things....not necessarily for what is happening but for what He will accomplish in our lives.  History is really "His" story as is evident from watching this documentary which I commend to you.  God uses all things to work together for His good and glory.  Let us remember this when we are faced with difficult circumstances and give Him the thanks for His provision.  Selah!


P.S.  The movie "Warriors of Honor" can be watched through Amazon Prime (if you are a member) for free.  It is definitely worth the time to see this.

How do You Check Your Conscience?

     Jiminy  Cricket famously said, "Let your conscience be your guide."  Sounds good doesn't it?  Nothing could be simpler than trusting our conscience to lead us in the right direction, but can we really trust it?  To find the best answer, we need to look at what the Bible says.
    Jeremiah 17:10 clearly states:  "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:  who can know it?"  Picking up on this truth, Jesus said:  "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, immorality, theft, murder, adultery, covetous, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness" (Mark 17:21-22).  This gives us a look at the conscience of
a person without Christ in their life.  We certainly cannot trust guidance from a heart that is not surrendered to the Lord.  Even when we do become a Christian, we still need to recognize that we cannot lean on our own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us:  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."  Our dependence on Christ and His Word are what will keep us from stumbling when confronted with temptation.
     By observing the life of King David, we notice that he called upon the Lord in both good times and bad.  The Psalms reflect this clearly.  When he was caught in sin, he came before the Lord in true repentance.  This is the reason that God said that David had a heart after His own.  Through prayer, David maintained a relationship with the Lord who guided his decisions.  Both his adultery and murder of Uriah the Hittite serve as a reminder that following our conscience rather than God's commandments can lead to serious sin.  So how do we do a check up on our conscience?
     In a recent sermon on the book of Acts, Liam Goligher said that we must daily wash our conscience in the Word of God each day.  If we do not go to the Bible daily to do a check up on our motives, thoughts and actions, we are missing the wisdom of the Lord and put ourselves in danger of listening to our flesh rather than the Spirit.  Just because we have an impulse, feeling, or idea does not mean that it automatically comes from God.  Many people have listened to these "leadings" only to find out later that this was not the Lord's will.  If only they had prayed and taken time to check their conscience with the Bible, things might have been different.
     Each day, we are called to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).  When we take time to prepare our hearts and minds, we will be renewed, encouraged, and ready for the attacks that can easily derail us.  So rather than taking Jiminy Cricket's advice, let us heed the warning that Jesus gave His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal (Matthew 26:41) :  "Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  God knows we are but dust yet He shows His love to us not only in salvation but also in His guidance each day.  We must check our conscience each day to make certain it lines up with God's Word.  May we be diligent to do this.  Selah!