2008-04-18
Good Morning Cherished of God,
We've been examining MT 7: 1-6 by having first discussed it and then begun last week looking at some of the supporting Scriptures that follow it. Last week the question was asked: Is all judgment wrong? That led to us looking at the issue of discernment. We already know that MT 7: 1-5 deals with judging others. MT 7: 6 is where discernment comes into the picture. "Do not give what is holy to dogs-they will only turn and attack you. Do not throw your pearls in front of pigs-they will only trample them underfoot."
In this context, discernment is judging what we should think and say to which people. In other words, how would the Lord Jesus think and speak? Our desire as true believers is to emulate Him. That takes us into the question of how can we achieve real godly discernment? Christ answers that question in MT 7: 7-8. "Ask and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks will receive, and anyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to him who knocks."
My own experience is the pool of information most available to me. Never before have I seen a situation where I can turn at any time of the day or night to my Source, the Lord, with a request for information or help. The really amazing thing about the Lord is not only that He is always there, but that His advice is always wisest and designed to convey the maximum good to our lives. This is, by far, not the only place in the Scriptures where God is telling us to turn to Him first-not as a last resort. JER 11-13, "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you not to bring disaster, plans to bring about the future for which you hope. Than you will call to Me. You will come and pray to Me, and I will answer you. You will seek Me, and you will find Me because you will seek Me with all your heart." Since He has told us He will never abandon us [PS 9: 10; PS 16: 10; HE 13: 5], He has had to have the patience to wait for those who don't make turning to Him their first choice. Normally, there are some painful lessons to learn in not turning to God first. It took me some time to turn to God in prayer during the time Peter and I were trying to sell our previous home. It was steadily draining our financial resources. God was teaching me the need to turn to Him first[1 CH 22: 18-19], have patience in waiting for Him [PS 27:14], and to live on much less [PS 37:11] before answering my tardy prayers over the 1 ½ years that it took to sell that home. As a person who has counseled others over the years, I have definitely learned my own need to knock on the door to God's wisdom more than once. As long as I am mentioning doors, note God's own words about this in REV 3: 20, "Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into his house and eat with him, and he will eat with Me." To me, that means that our Lord is eager to share His wisdom with us. From the point of view of a Jew, eating with one is a way of not only sharing hospitality, but also sharing of oneself. Think about it, our Deity is eager to share Himself with us!
Once again, Christ uses hyperbole [just as He did when speaking of the speck of wood in another's eye and the log in ours] in MT 7: 9-11 to drive home His point made [in 7-8]. "Would any of you who are fathers give your son a stone when he asks for bread? Or would you give him a snake when he asks for a fish? As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" Most people have only the best feelings for their own children. We are blessed that many people not only love their own children, but have hearts to reach out to all children. It's why we have school teachers, workers who dedicate their lives to abused children, and many others who serve the needs of children. A wise parent sets behavior guidelines for his children, applies them with consistence, and makes sure that the corrections for infractions are within the guidelines that God teaches, never being delivered in anger or lack of self-control. Good judgment demands that children have reasonable structure in their lives, that their needs are met [food, clothing, shelter, transportation, education, etc.], and that there is plenty of love in their homes. Parent's excel when they do all of this, while teaching their children to love the Lord. To parent successfully, adults must have good and godly judgment. That helps us to begin to understand that God wants us to judge in certain circumstances, but He has made it clear that we are never to judge what the fate of another shall be. That's His right alone.
MT 7: 12 should have a familiar ring. "Do unto others what you would want them to do unto you; this is the meaning of the Law of Moses and of the teachings of the prophets." Yes, this is the golden rule. The Law of Moses referred to here is the Ten Commandments found in EX 20: 1-17. Amazingly, the entire Bible is in one way or another discussions about these ten rules for living that are such a gift from God. They are so important that even after the golden calf incident that so angered Moses that he threw down the original tablets- destroying them before the giving them to the people- God was willing to give them to him again, once Moses sought Him out [EX 32; 33: 4; 34: 1-8; DT 10:1-2]. Does our God love us enough to reach down to us? You bet He does!
PRAYER: O Lord, we bow our heads in utter reverence to You. Your teaching for us on the matter of judgment and all matters is so clearly a product of the love You have for us. We are sinful humans who were never released from the bondage to our sins until Christ, Your Son, died on the cross for us and was resurrected as "the First among many brothers" [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25; RO 8: 29]. He paid the price, and You have honored Him in heaven ever since. We too, because of His Atonement, our repentance [willingness to walk away from our sins], and deeply abiding faith in Him, have been given the hope of the resurrection. You show Your love for us in so many ways. That is why we should always seek You out first, listen for Your direction, and have the courage to always take it. When You have something difficult for us to understand, You give us so much background on it in Your word, that only those who don't take the time to study it with hearts open to the Holy Spirit won't understand. Your word really does live up to what You have told us in 2 TIM 3: 16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed." Dearest Abba, You have created us with minds capable of making wise judgments, as long as we remain grounded in Your word. There are areas which You make clear to us, where we are not to judge-such as the eventual fate of another person. We thank and praise You for Your wisdom, for granting us salvation through the death of Your Son on the cross and His resurrection, Your loving compassion and Your patience with sinners like us. We also thank You for Who You are in our lives, what You do for us, and for always being there for us when we need You. In Christ's holy name, we pray. Amen.
Next week, we continue looking at the question: Is all judging wrong? Christ continues to give us background on His teaching in MT 7: 1-6 with the Scriptures which follow it. We will examine MT 7: 13-20. Each of us has had to deal with difficult ethical questions in our lives. Some are better at doing this than others, but all can improve on their judgments by standing on the foundation of God's word. When we find ourselves unable to judge in the areas God allows wisely, we can always turn to Him. PS 59: 16, "But as for me, I will sing about Your power. I will shout with joy each morning because of Your unfailing love. For You have been my Refuge, a Place of Safety in times of distress." God has given us His wisdom in His word. PS 1: 1, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law He meditates day and night." God urges us to have integrity in every phase of our lives, surely in the area of making judgments. MICAH 6: 8, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." God is the Source of all that is good on this earth. Under those circumstances, seeking Him out makes so much sense. PS 57: 2, "I will cry to the God of heaven Who does such wonders for me." PS 16: 2, "I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord. Every good thing I have comes from You.'" Join me in remembering to seek God first, and I know He will answer Your plea with His loving wisdom, His compassion, and His teaching on discernment. Praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn