2009-02-06
Good Morning Cherished Ones,
Over the last few weeks, the Holy Spirit has had me comparing RO 14: 1-15: 1 against MT 7: 1-6. If you have forgotten these Scriptures, please review them now. Suffice it to say that when we come up against non-salvation based issues that it’s perfectly okay to agree to disagree. Instead of getting mired in arguments on minutia, it’s far more important to keep our eyes on the big picture of encouraging faith in those around us. By doing that, we don’t break MT 7: 1-2, “Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you, for God will judge you in the same way you judge others, and He will apply to you the same rules you apply to others.”
While this may not be easiest concept to put into practice that is taught in the word of God, it’s important for us to understand that God knows the truth about each of us. Our own opinion of ourselves [which is often remarkably harsh or is arrogantly self-satisfied] simply doesn’t matter, because He knows the truth. Moreover, it’s His opinion that counts. As a review, it won’t hurt for us to look at HE 4: 12, “The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any doubled-edged sword. It cuts all he way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of a man’s heart.” It also helps for us to understand the definitions of soul and spirit, from Beth Moore’s “The Patriarchs.” Soul: the seat of the emotions.
1 COR 4: 5, “So you should not pass judgment on anyone before the right time comes. Final judgment must wait until the Lord comes; He will bring to light the dark secrets and expose the hidden purposes of people’s minds. And then everyone will receive from God the praise he deserves.” By stressing the point that God knows the contents of our hearts and nothing can be hidden from Him, it places the responsibility for good and moral behavior where it belongs-on the believer. When God tells us that He will judge us as we judge others, He is both giving us time to examine our attitudes and actions and time to make a change in them, if that is needed. Remember He has told us, in RO 12: 2, “Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by the complete renewal of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God-what is good and is pleasing to Him and is perfect.” Because of the clarity of God’s will as presented in the Scriptures, we have no excuse for persisting in behavior toward others that doesn’t conform to it. It is our responsibility to study the Scriptures, so that we have a complete knowledge of God’s expectations for us. Does one human have the right to judge the efforts of another to conform to God’s will? This is not an easy question to answer, because our emotions get in the way of any righteous judgments we might make. That’s a good reason why 1 COR 4: 5 is telling us “not to pass judgment on anyone before the right time comes…”
I love it when the Holy Spirit brings me to another verse which clarifies the Lord’s attitude. So, we must look at 2 PET 3: 9, “The Lord is not slow to do what He has promised, as some think. Instead, He is patient with you, because He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants all to turn away from their sins.” Does this mean the Lord will wait indefinitely? No, it does not! He has His timeline, even if we, the angels, and even Christ Himself don’t know it exactly [MT 24: 36]. We are still urged to work as hard as we can to conform the standards of our behavior and judgments to the Lord’s. That means uncovering hidden, subtle sins and expunging them from our lives, an often painful process. Once all of this is sorted out by the Lord, then, He will be prepared to make a final judgment. Notice I wrote “He will make a final judgment.” DN 7: 13-14 has made it clear that God has given the right of final judgment to His Son, Jesus Christ. REV 19: 15 makes it clear that He will rule over the nations and describes Him clearly as John sees Him-“Out of His mouth came a sharp sword, with which He will defeat the nations.” The royal line of godly authority is clearly with Christ. As for that final judgment, known as the “great white throne,” in which the books of the living and dead are opened, we see, in REV 20: 15, “Whoever did not have his name written in the book of the living was thrown into the lake of fire.” An underlying theme in this entire construct given to us in the Scriptures is our need to take responsibility for our own actions and to genuinely confess it to the Lord when we sin. Doing these things is a sure sign of advancing spiritual maturity, something that pleases God very much. As for the value of genuine confession, RO 10: 9-10 gives us comfort. “If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from death, you will be saved. For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved.”
PRAYER: O Lord, how can we not appreciate Your wonderful patience in waiting for us to be made purer by learning to obey the precepts of Your word? You are a generous God with Your wisdom, Your patience, and Your compassion for those who really try to cooperate with You in the process of sanctification. Using our hearts by allowing them to be led by the Holy Spirit to make necessary judgments in the course of our lives is not an easy thing for us to do. Yet, You have created us to be able to come to faith in the Lord Jesus, to repent of our own sins, and to seek out Your wisdom. While painful, You give us the power to search for, discover, and stop even subtle/hidden sins we commit. You are always there for us. PS 145: 18, “He is near to those who call to Him, who call to Him with sincerity.” We are grateful to You for Your eagerness to not only be available to us, but also to help us in times of trouble. Your words, in PS 91: 15, “He will call upon Me, and I will answer Him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” PS 91: 4, “God says, ‘I will save those who love Me and will protect those who know Me as Lord.” You bless us, Dearest Abba, with Your love and presence. IS 54: 10, “’The mountains and hills may crumble, but My love for you will never end; I will keep forever My promise of peace,’ so says the Lord who loves you”…DT 33: 27, “God has always been your Defense; His eternal arms are your support.” Your faithfulness is a cornerstone of any strength I have. LAM 3: 22-24, “Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for His passions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘the Lord is my Portion ; therefore I will wait for Him.’” You deserve our praise and thanks for eternity. PS 28: 6-7, “Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord is my Strength and my Shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.” These things we utter in reverence, in the name of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Next week, I am led to write about what we must do if faced with the necessity of making a judgment and the attitude we should take. For now, you will notice that there was so much to say about the Lord, that there wasn’t time for us to list our supplications. That’s okay to do at times in prayer, because it is our discovery of His real attributes and actions that is even more important. The Lord often knows what our supplications are before we even ask for them. It is obvious here that we need His leadership in the matter of any judgments we must make. Our God really does live among His people, in the form of the indwelt Holy Spirit. We are to spend daily time in the Scriptures [2 TIM 3: 16-17], have an active/dynamic prayer life, learn from the circumstances of our lives, and be an active member of Christ-led congregations. All of these things will lead us to be closer than ever to the Lord. We are to serve Him, knowing well that if we listen to Him, He will lead us to the form of service for which He has fitted us and will help us along the learning path to serving Him with distinction. The Covenant of Grace is really a two-way promise. He promises to make His will known, to grant us salvation through His grace and His Son’s death and resurrection, and to give us His Spirit to teach us what we need to know. In return, we are to walk away from the sins of our fleshly nature, to cooperate in the process of sanctification, and to mature eventually into sufficiently perfected beings that He can make His own greatest wish come true-to bring us back to His side, as He brought His Son back to Him, for a blissful life of eternal fellowship. Now, there’s a goal worth working toward! Praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn