"But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love.
For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. O my Strength, to you I sing praises,
for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love."
- Psalm 59:16-17.

Monday, July 23, 2012

07 | 23 | 2012 : Proverbs 19:21

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand."

Too often I think we as Christians forget to take God's will into consideration when choosing to do this or that. We make plans and organize our days sometimes without really thinking about what God may have for us.
"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit' - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'" - James 4:13-15 ESV
We are so insignificant in comparison to the everlasting God. How can we be so naiive and say that we are in control of our own lives when we have forfeited our lives to our Creator?

This doesn't mean that we shouldn't make plans, however, it is a reminder that we should put everything into God's hands and that we should not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself (Matthew 6:34).

This is also something I struggle with. I can conjure up a to-do list as long as my arm, yet I seldom take into consideration that God is in control. It is a struggle to constantly remind myself that the Lord wills everything I do, and that my life is but a vapor. Reading that Scripture is such a pride-shattering realization.

Lord, I pray that you will help us, including myself, to trust and humble ourselves before You. You know what we need and what Your plans are for us, and I pray that we truly hand over our whole lives to You so we may see what you have in store.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

"But we're not supposed to judge!"

I’ve heard far too many Christians say something along the lines of that statement, throwing about passages like Matthew 7:1-6, John 8:7, and Luke 6:37. According to most, God is the only one allowed to judge. That’s it. Nothing more.

But what about verses like John 7:24, Proverbs 31:9, Amos 5:14-15, 1 Corinthians 5:12, etc? All of those tell us to judge those within the Church. God commands us to do so! But the catch is that we must judge with righteous judgment.

What is righteous judgment?
Well, first, if you’re going to judge, make sure you know all the facts. Don’t be quick to pass judgment when you barely read the Bible.
Judging fairly means to not water down the Truth for friends and strengthen it for people we don’t know or like. If we’re judging right, we say the exact same thing in the exact same manner to everyone, whether it be a family member, friend, enemy, stranger, etc.
 We also may not hold a double standard: if we’re judging other people, we need to judge ourselves with the same measure. Sin is sin, no matter who is committing it.
 We must also judge mercifully, for we will reap what we sow, and, as in what is written in Matthew, God will judge us in the way we have judged others.

 If we “aren’t allowed to judge,” then what is the point of the passages about knowing a tree by its fruit? Romans 16:7? 1 John 4:1? Psalm 37:30? I’m not saying those verses in Matthew 7, John 8, and Luke 6 are wrong. They aren’t whatsoever. They are telling us not to judge if we have not taken a look at ourselves first and are working on changes. But Scripture is very clear that we should make judgments righteously and biblically, without favoritism, harshness, or holding double standards.

God is the Judge, but that does not mean He is the only one who judges.