Who are you judging?

It’s so easy to judge others and see where they fall short (Matt 7:1). Oftentimes, we judge others knowing nothing about them beyond superficial facts, if that. It’s much easier to see where someone else has issues than to face ourselves. I can usually look at someone else’s life and see where they have made mistakes or need to make better decisions. That is much easier than looking at my own issues. But that is what we are allowed to do – judge ourselves. God is gracious and kind and gives us a chance to hold ourselves accountable. 

In fact, scripture puts it like this – “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world” (1 Cor 11:31-32). This passage calls for us to examine our own lives and reflect on our activities and attitudes to take appropriate action. Instead of condemning others for their sin, we need to reflect on our own, seeking God to show us what inside of us is unlike Him so we can repent and surrender our will to His (Gal 2:20).

This prevents us from getting too confident in ourselves. If we don’t look at ourselves and recognize our faults and need for a savior, we can become prideful and arrogant in our service to the Lord (Prov 16:18). It can lead us to replacing the Lord with our service to Him making it an idol. To honor Him and give Him the glory due His name we must be humble and self-aware (Prov 22:4). We must never forget that we are not perfect, Jesus is. We are not worthy, Jesus is. We are not righteous, Jesus is. He gave us His righteousness and took on our sin and paid the price for it (2 Cor 5:21). We must never forget that He paid the price instead of us. We owe Him everything. 

So, who are you judging? Yourself or others? Are you pleasing God where you are? If not, change it. No time like the present. Don’t put it off. Don’t put Him off.

You’re in the Church but are You The Church

It’s been a while since I last wrote an entry and I’m not sure if I just got busy or I stopped listening for a while, but I couldn’t not write this one. Lately, with everything going on around the world, I’ve been sad and disappointed. Many religious leaders and people who claim to be followers of Jesus have acted like anything but Him. When Jesus was asked about the greatest of the commandments, He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Then he added, “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matt 22:37-39)

When I read that in my bible, what it tells me is that loving those around me, my fellow man, is second only to loving God. Not power or money or prestige or anything else. Jesus also told His followers (The Church) that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). I find it very hard to believe that anyone loves God if he doesn’t love those he sees daily, whatever his or her sex or race or class. However, I regularly read about those who proclaim to love Jesus denigrating others whether migrants or minorities or any others – that is not Christ-like, in fact, it’s the opposite. That is not love. It divides and it tears down – the very opposite of what Jesus and His disciples or apostles taught. Paul taught us in Phil 2:3 to not “...be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves.”

Anyone can say anything. They can claim to be something they are not. But the proof is in the pudding. Our actions and behaviors do not lie. If we don’t look and act like Jesus, we are likely not of Jesus. The scripture says a tree is known by its fruit (Matt 12:33). In our case, a Christ-follower is known by the fruit of the spirit and if those fruit are not present, then it’s appropriate to question what spirit is present. The fruit of The Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23). If someone is exhibiting something different, that is evidence the Holy Spirit is not present because I’ve known Him a long time and He does not sit idly by while we sin or exhibit behavior opposing Christ. He guides and directs us and chastises us when we step off course. 

One of the biggest tragedies is that many people believe if they attend church and do what they consider good that makes them right with God. That couldn’t be further from the truth. First, we are not good. Period. Second, there is nothing we can do in ourselves that makes us right with God. It is only by God’s grace through faith in Jesus and what He accomplished that we can be saved (Eph 2:8-9). There is no way for us to buy our way in or work hard enough to gain a place in God’s family/His Church. It is a free gift of God to us. But, once we are saved, because we love God and revere Him as the Creator of the heavens and earth, the only Wise God, our Heavenly Father, we seek to please Him. That is when the work comes in. Not to save us, but because we are saved. We work, as we are called, out of obedience to fulfill His plan and purpose in the earth. 

So, the question for you is, are you The Church? Are you truly a follower of Christ? I’m not talking about what you claim to people. I’m talking about whether you actually have a relationship with Jesus for yourself and are taking on His characteristics because the Holy Spirit is on the inside of you. Does God know you? Or will He say when you are judged that He never knew you? How tragic would it be to live your life claiming Jesus and then end up in Hell for eternity because you were so busy trying to impress people and obtain things that you missed it. A few decades on this earth gaining stuff you can’t carry anywhere and don’t really need would be an awful consolation prize for an eternity of misery and torture, but that will be the reality for many. The great thing is that while you’re still breathing there is time. Don’t waste it. Choose Jesus. Be The Church. There is no better choice.