2008-04-25
Good Morning Dear Ones,
I'm led to continue with supporting Scriptures for MT 7:1-6, Christ's words in the Sermon on the Mount about judgment. In MT 7: 1-2, we were told, "Judge not that ye not be judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." We shouldn't let the archaic language throw us; I just thought it might be interesting to see this passage in the KJV form. You'll remember that verses 3-5 are Christ's example that we shouldn't judge others with a speck in their eyes when we have a log in our own. MT 7: 6, "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 other words, we need to have discernment in making normal judgments in our lives. That comes from the Lord through prayer and His word. It's why we need His intervention in our lives and to have hearts open to the direction of the Holy Spirit. Today, we will see how MT 7: 13-14 supports this initial premise of Christ's teaching on judgment.
We have finally arrived at the metaphor of the narrow gate, one I cite often in my writing and prayers. MT 7: 13-14, "Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it." Christ is acknowledging here that it isn't easy to be a faithfully obedient believer. This is true in any context, including in making the ordinary judgments God allows us to make. Because of what we find in RO 8: 19, we must face the reality that many people we know and even care about, won't choose the hard path that leads from the narrow gate. "All of creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal His sons." The Pollyanna in us wants everyone to go to heaven and enjoy eternal sweet fellowship with the Lord there. Sadly, relatively few will do this. Only those who are obediently faithful to Jesus Christ [JN 14: 6]. Walking the hard path of righteousness applies to the judgments we make in our lives. MT 5: 3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them." In view of MT 5: 3, I, for one, can't see how we can remain on that path without seeking out the Lord, opening our hearts to His direction, and taking it.
In today's world, we are watching some of the population of the US trying to rewrite history to exclude God and His Son from our schools and institutions. Jay Sekulow, a Christian lawyer, began the American Center for Law and Justice [ACLJ; www.aclj.org] in an effort to stem this tide. He has a program on the radio to publicize the kind of cases in which the ACLJ is involved. They have fought the removal of the Ten Commandments plaques in court rooms, the removal of statues with references to the Christian roots of this country's founding, and the infringement of the rights of Christians to openly practice their faith without fear of reprisals. Persecution in any form is a work of the devil.
We must make ordinary judgments frequently. Such an issue came up in my own life when some friends tried to lead me to buy cases of a product which claims to prevent all kinds of diseases. This product is expensive, and it's claims are not supported by much of the main-line medical community. I prayed that the Lord would help me find a gentle way to convey my lack of interest without losing these friends. And He did. PS 116: 1, "I love the Lord because He hears my prayers and answers them." There have been times in my past when I was quite innocently pulled into something that was bad for me. Such was the case when I spent 12 years in a cult when I was younger. My Protector was with me the whole time and kept me away from the darkest practices of this cult. I'll be forever grateful to Him for that. PS 139: 5, "You are all around me on every side; You protect me with Your power." This doesn't mean that we won't have to face painful consequences for our mistakes. God often allows that to teach us what is in conformity with His will. But we must remember that He limits the punishment to fit the offense and will never allow it to go beyond our power to remain firm in our faith [1 COR 10: 13]. His justice is unsurpassed. PS 75: 9-10, "But I will never stop speaking of the God of Jacob or singing praises to Him. He will break the power of the wicked, but the power of the righteous will be increased." PS 103: 6, "God judges in favor of the oppressed and gives them their rights." In my case, He brought me to the place where I had to compare the Scriptures with the written beliefs of this cult. Praise to Him, I could see the inconsistencies and realized my need to remove myself from the cult. This process wasn't easy, because family relationships were impacted by my decision. But step by step, the Lord took me through it and kept not only me but my family relationship protected. Dear Ones, He will do the same for you and anyone who is willing to repent of his sins and believe in the Lord Jesus. Nothing is sweeter that the hope His Atonement has given us for salvation! Nothing is more compassionate that His giving the Holy Spirit to dwell within us [RO 8:14-16; JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25].
PRAYER: O Lord, we praise and thank You for Your wisdom and intervention in our lives. We, as sinners, had no hope of eternal life with You until You sent Your Son to die on the cross for us. His resurrection, as the "First among many brothers" [RO 8: 29] reveals Your intent to bring as many of us back to You as possible. How can we not recognize Your love, patience, and compassion? In the matter of judgments, You have shown us that we have a large task to do, one that will last throughout our earthly lives. We must cooperate with Your on-going efforts to sanctify us. To do so requires learning Your will through Your word and in prayers where we listen first for Your direction. PS 37: 23-24, "The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand." As we examine MT 7, we learn Your will in the matter of judgments. Your Son modeled wisdom coupled with humility. It is His example that You want us to follow. We must "forget ourselves, take up our crosses every day, and come follow Him" [LK 9: 23]. Where a person's final eternity will be is up to Christ to judge. But, with the ethical foundation of Your word and prayer, we are allowed to make ordinary judgments in the course of our lives. The wisdom that You gave Solomon is available to us, if we will follow the direction You give us [1 K 3: 16-28]. How sad that few people really understand that! Dearest Abba, You have never called us to what You didn't first equip us to do. We should never question Your direction or wisdom. In a prayer of a man betrayed by a friend, in PS 55: 6, the plea was, "I wish I had wings like a dove, I would fly away and find rest." In meditating over this verse, it occurred that we have what this person wanted. We have the Holy Spirit with us to lead us to wise judgments and give us rest. What a marvelous God You are to love us that much that You would do this and so much more for us! Thanks and praise be Yours, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Next week, I am led to examine the metaphor of the tree and its fruit, from MT 7: 13-20. Hopefully, we will come to understand together how it supports MT 7: 1-6. The Psalmist, in PS 73: 25-26, asked some key questions and came to an amazing conclusion about God's justice. "What else do I have in heaven but You? My mind and my body may grow weak, but God is my Strength. He is all I ever need." We too must understand that our strength comes from God. He will test our faith by allowing a carefully measured amount of activity by the devil in our lives, the amount designed to give us the maximum instruction and spiritual growth by working through it. As we work through the problems and trials of our lives, we come to know Him better. It's exactly what He wants, because He knows that will bring us through the narrow gate and along that hard path that leads to eternal life. Our God's wisdom and judgment, as with everything else He does, is sufficient for our needs. PS 145: 8-9, " The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works." Let me end with this delicious verse, 1 JN 4: 12, "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us." Surely this concept applies to the judgments He makes and can apply to the ones He instructs us to make.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn