What causes us to unjustly judge one another?
What causes us to want to harm each other either emotionally or physically?
James 4:1-3 says:
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your
desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not
have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not
have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive because
you ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasures
Psalm 66:18 says:
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord
will not hear
So, what is iniquity? The dictionary
definition is:
1. lack of justice or righteousness; wickedness; injustice
2. a wicked act; sin
This unfortunately has become a way of life
in America. We reverence money, sex outside of marriage, laziness etc and
disdain morality and honesty. Our society turns to carnal or worldly wisdom to
make decisions for our lives rather than turning to God. We are ashamed or
afraid to put ourselves out there as Christians. Whether our thinking is that
we will become unpopular and lose friends or that we may lose our lives is
beside the point. It is not the why, it is the very fact that we water down
God’s word with politically correct rhetoric and/or choose only to point out
the warm, fuzzy parts of the Gospel.
What makes us do this? I submit that it is
because we live in the present rather than the future. When we live in the
present we only see what is right before us. We don’t want to do or say
anything that might take away our present comfort. When we live in the future we
look forward to spending eternity in the presence of God. This, in turn, makes
us not only want to do everything we can to make that happen, but we want to
bring others with us so they can know REAL comfort and peace.
We don’t have to hit people over the head
with the truth. We simply show it, as Jesus did, with our very lives. We, as
humans, tend to confuse righteousness with haughtiness (definitions below). These
two things are polar opposites.
As worldly humans, our tendency is to look
down on others to prove our own superiority and to watch out for our own profit
above all. What a travesty this makes of what Jesus did for us.
As Christians, we are called to be humble,
loving, unselfish, caring for others more than for ourselves. We are also told not
to be unequally yoked (This pertains to friendships as well as marriage (see 2
Corinthians 6:14-18)), which is probably what causes people of the world to
think we are haughty or hypocritical. This could not be further from the truth.
True Christians grieve for others who are not saved. Not because they think
they are better, but because they understand what hell is and do not want
anyone to spend eternity there.
So the final questions are:
Do we love God enough to risk being unpopular
in this world?
Are we so grateful to Jesus for His sacrifice
for us that we cannot sacrifice enough for Him?
Do we love others enough to show them the
Truth?
I hope your answer to these questions is yes.
Riding the whirlwind of God’s grace, mercy
and love
L
right·eous adj.
1. Morally upright;
without guilt or sin: a righteous parishioner.
2. In accordance with
virtue or morality: a righteous judgment.
right eous·ly adv.
right eous·ness n.
haugh·ty adj. haugh·ti·er, haugh·ti·est
Scornfully and condescendingly proud. See Synonyms at proud.
haugh ti·ly adv.
haugh ti·ness n.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 New King James Version (NKJV)
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with
unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what
communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has
a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For
you are the temple of the living God. As God has
said:
“I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be
their God, and they shall be My people.”
17 Therefore
“Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”
18 “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.”
18 “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.”
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