Romans 2:1-4
Some of you accuse others of doing wrong. But there is no excuse for what you do. When you judge others, you condemn yourselves, because you are guilty of doing the very same things. We know that God is right to judge everyone who behaves in this way. Do you really think God won’t punish you, when you behave exactly like the people you accuse? You surely don’t think much of God’s wonderful goodness or of his patience and willingness to put up with you. Don’t you know that the reason God is good to you is because he wants you to turn to him?
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Exactly one year ago this week, I sat with my grandmother in our local hospital, where she had undergone surgery to repair a broken leg bone. The surgeon bolted a rod in place alongside her leg, securing it near the hip socket and above the knee. The plan was to have her up and “walking” the day after surgery. But three days later, she had not budged and didn’t even know her own name – much less mine. After consulting with her doctors, nurses and an in-hospital therapist, I requested Hospice care. This was not an easy decision… and even my nurse-friend at Hospice initially refused, saying, “I have no medical reason to admit her.” Once she came for an evaluation, she realized just how bad my grandmother’s situation really was and readily agreed.
When we returned to the assisted living facility, many of the staff members were somewhat cool toward me. Some made comments like, “We LOVE Miss Polly… we can take care of her… we’d take her home with us if we could.” They implied that I did not care… that Hospice was not necessary…that they knew better than I what should be done in this situation. Please understand that not all of the staff members felt this way. One nurse in particular told me over and over, “Miss Polly does NOT want to be here… she tells me all the time she is ready to go ‘home.’” And indeed, when my grandmother was still able to speak, she told me more than once that she was so ready for heaven and did not understand why God was keeping her here so long.
I do not regret my decision to request Hospice care for my grandmother. And in recent weeks, I have recommended Hospice to others who are dealing with difficult health care choices for their loved ones. I would never question another person’s decision to utilize Hospice… nor would I judge those who say, “Oh, that’s not for us…” or “We’re not ready for that.” I have seen more than one family wait too late to fully benefit from this amazing organization. But this is a deeply personal decision. When I suggest to a family that they engage the services of Hospice, I am not judging their situation – nor trying to tell them what to do. All I can do is share how Hospice helped us… and how they made my grandmother’s last nine months on this earth more comfortable for her – and for us as her caregivers.
There are dozens of situations and circumstances every day in which we serve as judge and jury… instances where we are quick to voice our opinion that “he/she should have done things this way,” or “I would NEVER have said or done such-and-such.” Hopefully you will never commit murder or abuse a child – or any of God’s creatures. But you very well may take the LORD’s name in vain… lie… cheat…steal…gossip…treat others unfairly or unkindly… show bias toward another person because of his/her race, creed, color or lifestyle choices… and more. And no sin is more serious than another in God’s eyes. So when you accuse others of wrongdoing, you will have no excuse that justifies doing so. When you judge another person, God will judge you. The next time you start to pass judgment on another person, remember that you are essentially judging yourself in the bargain.
If we would only turn to God and seek His will and wisdom… then act accordingly…we would never fear judgment. Oh, sure… some on this earth might still have plenty of opinions about our decisions. But as long as we know that God is pleased with our choices, we need not worry about what anyone else thinks. Ask yourself this question…”Can I close my eyes tonight and sleep well… knowing that I have done what God asked of me? Have I spoken and acted according to His plans today? Did I serve well as Christ’s disciple? Is God pleased with me?” If the answer is uncertain, fall to your knees and ask God to show you where you missed the mark…and how to correct this.
We all fall short of complete surrender to God’s will from time to time. But He is waiting for us to turn to Him and make the necessary adjustments. What is holding you back? What is your excuse for operating in anything less than full obedience? Isn’t it time you figured out where your “faith walk” and attitude need work? Isn’t this the perfect time to begin?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label none are sinless. Show all posts
Showing posts with label none are sinless. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for August 5, 2012
John 8:6-7
Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
A “preacher’s kid” friend of mine recently shared a story about a colleague of her dad’s… a pastor we both happen to know. It seems that one of his church members telephoned him one day and began to rant and rave about someone else who attended their church. She said, “Pastor, you’ve got a SINNER in your church!” The pastor replied, “Lady, all I’ve got in my church is sinners! If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have anybody!”
We can laugh, but this is the truth in a nutshell. Every time we point our finger at someone, four fingers are pointing in our direction. Just because you don’t kill, lie, cheat or steal doesn’t mean you are sinless. Do you overeat? Are you lazy? Do you gossip and say unkind things about others… even once in a while? Here’s a biggie… do you disobey God? Do you ever say, “I know I should do so-and-so… it’s the right thing to do… but I just don’t feel like it today.” It’s good to meet you, fellow sinner!
One of the things we seem to so easily forget is that God’s laws are for EVERYONE. We cannot pick and choose when and where we apply them to our situation … or anyone else’s. We can’t say, “Oh, look at what he/she has done” without also looking in the mirror.
So the next time we want to condemn someone for a comment he/she has made, we have to think about the things we have said. When we want to criticize or denounce another person for an indiscretion or any behavior of which we don’t approve, we had better check our own conduct first.
The line has effectively been drawn in the sand. Jesus stands on one side… the only example of true perfection. The rest of us are on the other side. None of us can step over the line. The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus has also drawn a circle… around all of us. He stands ready to embrace and include each of us, if only we will surrender to Him and admit that we are anything but faultless.
When we ask Jesus to forgive us for OUR sins, He wraps His arms around us and draws us in as part of His precious inner circle. And He has room for any and all who ask to enter. So we must not be surprised when the other guy we have been so quick to criticize shows up there, as well. In fact, I can almost hear Him saying, “Listen, people! All I’ve got in my circle is repentant sinners… and I still have room for YOU!”
©2012 Debbie Robus
Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
A “preacher’s kid” friend of mine recently shared a story about a colleague of her dad’s… a pastor we both happen to know. It seems that one of his church members telephoned him one day and began to rant and rave about someone else who attended their church. She said, “Pastor, you’ve got a SINNER in your church!” The pastor replied, “Lady, all I’ve got in my church is sinners! If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have anybody!”
We can laugh, but this is the truth in a nutshell. Every time we point our finger at someone, four fingers are pointing in our direction. Just because you don’t kill, lie, cheat or steal doesn’t mean you are sinless. Do you overeat? Are you lazy? Do you gossip and say unkind things about others… even once in a while? Here’s a biggie… do you disobey God? Do you ever say, “I know I should do so-and-so… it’s the right thing to do… but I just don’t feel like it today.” It’s good to meet you, fellow sinner!
One of the things we seem to so easily forget is that God’s laws are for EVERYONE. We cannot pick and choose when and where we apply them to our situation … or anyone else’s. We can’t say, “Oh, look at what he/she has done” without also looking in the mirror.
So the next time we want to condemn someone for a comment he/she has made, we have to think about the things we have said. When we want to criticize or denounce another person for an indiscretion or any behavior of which we don’t approve, we had better check our own conduct first.
The line has effectively been drawn in the sand. Jesus stands on one side… the only example of true perfection. The rest of us are on the other side. None of us can step over the line. The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus has also drawn a circle… around all of us. He stands ready to embrace and include each of us, if only we will surrender to Him and admit that we are anything but faultless.
When we ask Jesus to forgive us for OUR sins, He wraps His arms around us and draws us in as part of His precious inner circle. And He has room for any and all who ask to enter. So we must not be surprised when the other guy we have been so quick to criticize shows up there, as well. In fact, I can almost hear Him saying, “Listen, people! All I’ve got in my circle is repentant sinners… and I still have room for YOU!”
©2012 Debbie Robus
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