Who Gets to Judge? - Day 205 Month 7-23 Week 30-2

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year)


1 Samuel 29:1-30:20, Proverbs 11:1-11, Ezekiel 11, Romans 1:18-2:16

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2029%3A1-30%3A20%2C%20Proverbs%2011%3A1-11%2C%20Ezekiel%2011%2C%20Romans%201%3A18-2%3A16&version=NASB1995


Who Gets to Judge?

I want to judge others.  When I see someone doing something that I believe is wrong,  I immediately want to judge them for it.  Maybe you do too.

One of the biggest triggers for me is foul language.  The F bomb and taking God's name in vain are the things that bother me most.  As soon as someone starts swearing, I find myself ready to judge them.  As I have grown older, however, I have come to realize that we live in a culture where that language is considered normal.  People who are not Jesus followers may see that language very differently than I do.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that my tendency to judge exposes the same problem in me that I see in others.  The problem is that, when I judge people for using God's name in vain, I can forget that judgment itself belongs to Jesus.  In my pride, I may begin claiming an authority that was never mine to claim. That makes me a hypocrite.  I am judging people for sin while committing sin myself through my own judgment.

What I am trying to say is that, whether we try to follow God's law or not, we all fall short.  We all do things that are outside His will.  We often act in ways that make us feel better than other people, when in reality we are no better ourselves.

In Romans 2:11 and 12, we read, “For there is no partiality with God.  For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law.”   That leaves us with a dilemma.  No one is without sin.

I have mentioned many times in this blog, and I will continue to do so, that there is a solution.  Jesus is the solution.  If we believe that Jesus died for our sins and was raised to life, we are justified and will no longer be punished for the sins we have committed.

Out of gratitude for what Jesus has done, we seek to love the LORD with all our mind, heart, and soul, and to love our neighbour as ourselves.  This is how we fulfill the law of God.  Obedience is no longer simply a duty but becomes a response of gratitude.

Well, that is it for today.  No personal story.  Please stay tuned, though.  I will have many stories from my own life as we continue our journey through Romans.

Have a great day!

Steve

steve.d.pauls@gmail.com


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