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Matthew 7:1-5
Message No. 0669 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca
This past week I watched a video on YouTube, regarding a priest who was posted from one part of the world to another, to replace a former priest who was from the local region and with whom people were familiar. Upon arrival of the foreign priest, people were very skeptical of him as they already had preconceived notions about people from where he came. However, this priest started working hard to prove himself to the congregation and before long, people started coming to the church and the auditorium was becoming fuller than before.
There was a young widow in the church who was very dedicated and coming to the church to clean and to decorate the pulpit and to perform other volunteer services. One day she was in the church, and she started livestreaming the beauty of the auditorium to her followers, who included church members. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her heart and before she could realize that she was having a heart attack, she slumped and fell, but her phone continued to livestream what was happening. When the priest, who was in his office heard the sound and sensed that something was wrong, he immediately came out and upon seeing her on the floor began CPR.
Before long, some people came into the church and immediately concluded that the priest had done something (untoward) to the young lady and quickly, they called other members to come to the church and they started to accuse the priest of wrongdoing. They also called the police. Fortunately, the lady’s phone continued to livestream and one of those who was watching the livestream came into the church with her phone. She was surprised that the priest was being accused, so she showed the video to the church members and the police. It was only at this point that they realized they had accused the priest wrongly and in the following days, each of them came to apologize. The lady also survived.
When David committed adultery with Bathsheba and later killed her husband to cover up the sin, God sent prophet Nathan to him, who told the story of a very rich man who took the only animal owned by a poor neighbor and killed it for his visitor, the king replied swiftly: “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die.” Nathan responded, “You are the man.” Well, who was qualified to put the king to death.
In Matthew chapter 7 verses 1 – 5, while preaching the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His disciples:
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
As human beings, we often refuse to accept that we are too inadequate to fully understand things we can see, let alone those that we cannot see. Faulty eyewitness accounts have also shown how unreliable this type of evidence is in court cases. Not only are we inadequate, we are also too flawed to point accusing fingers at people when we have probably done worse than them either in the past or even in the present. King David was very swift to condemn the man in Nathan’s story, not knowing that he was actually the man.
Some people are professionals in raising accusing fingers and voices against people at the slightest chance. However, if the chips are down, are we actually any better than the people we accuse? In Romans 2:21-23, Paul cautioned the Jews who judged the Gentiles:
You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?
In Psalm 130 verse 3, the Bible says if the Lord would mark iniquities, who shall stand? Sometimes our propensities to pronounce judgement on other people is so high that we risk disqualifying ourselves from the mercy of God. So, when next we are tempted to judge someone, we need to remember that it’s the same measure we use to judge others that will be used to judge us also. We are not to accommodate sin but even when we confirm wrongdoing against a brother or sister, instead of passing judgement, let us consider the letter of Paul to the Galatians in chapter 6 verses 1 – 3. Have a blessed week!
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If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!
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