(Jesus said) "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." Matthew 7:1
Most of us like to think of ourselves as being pretty normal individuals.
We try to obey the speeding laws and generally keep ourselves out of trouble. In contrast to the favorable opinion most of us have of ourselves, Clarence Darrow, the famous criminal lawyer, once said, "Everyone is a potential murderer." About himself, he admitted, "I have not killed anyone, but I frequently get satisfaction out of obituary notices."
To get satisfaction out of an obituary notice is a pretty sad commentary about a man.
Nevertheless, if I am being honest, I have to admit that I also get satisfaction.
No, there's no satisfaction in seeing someone die, but there have been numerous times when I've smiled to see some pompous or proud individual getting taken down a notch or two. I'm ashamed to say it, but there have been moments when I was pleased to see a know-it-all proven wrong.
It's a sad source of pleasure.
I'm not proud about it because, after all, there is probably any number of people who would get similar satisfaction in seeing me get some comeuppance.
Thankfully, the Lord is not one of those individuals.
God wants to see my name in the Book of Life, not on the pages of the dead. He wants me to live a beautiful and full life. To assure that becomes a reality, He has sent His Son to take my place under the Law, to carry my sins and defeat death.
All this He does for me. Not because I deserve it, but because He's God and He cares for His wandering, wayward children.
Now, because He has done that for me, I'm going to do my very best to be understanding of those whom I once looked upon with a judgmental eye. And if it's possible, I hope you do the same for me and everybody else you meet today.
From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"
THE PRAYER: Father, thank You for writing our names in Your Book of Life. Please minimize our attitudes when they become overly judgmental and help us to share the Savior with those we meet. In His Name I pray it. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Used with permission by Lutheran Hour Ministries
Good Day Lovely Ones,
A blessing to be here this Sunday morning. Brings Joy to know that you've come here to read my blog! Why? Sharing the Lord's Word with you and my experience, strength & hope is always a pleasure. It brings great joy when you share also. Please do leave a comment with your thoughts of todays devotion -- or any other thoughts you may have. And Thanks!
Like Pastor Klaus, I to have "caught" myself in moments when I was pleased to see a know-it-all proven wrong. That moment of pleasure quickly changes tho. Allow me to explain. I'm a Pisces. (Born March 4th) They say Pisces are sensitive. I find that to be true.
Immediately after I feel the pleasure, I feel empathy for the "know-it-all" as no one wants to feel humiliated.
However, the way people react to their feeling of humiliation is a different story. Some become quite quiet. Some become shocked - "speechless" and others even become instantly angered & defensive.
However, the way people react to their feeling of humiliation is a different story. Some become quite quiet. Some become shocked - "speechless" and others even become instantly angered & defensive.
To be honest, I find it hard to hold a conversation with the 3rd mentioned. (The ones who instantly become angered & defensive) Why? For one, fear of their actions I suppose. I've seen some throw things. Others strike out with a punch. Others become road-raged. And even some have shot someone!
Lord only knows what will happen when the brain goes from Zero to 100 in a matter of seconds!
That takes me to a different topic... but for now, I'll stick with finding it hard to talk to the instantly angered. Have you ever felt like you were "walking on egg shells?" Oh yea, that kind of feeling is what I'm talking about! Having to be careful of what words to say so you don't "offend" someone aka become a target of someones anger!
Yea, THOSE kind of know-it-alls! I find it difficult to even convers with them because there is no real conversation; I cannot be "up-front" aka blunt or what I would call honest, the REAL me! I mean, I'm honest no matter but having to stop & think about just what "right" words to say is difficult for me!
I lose concentration very easily. If I stop speaking to think about the "right word" my mind takes off to some other place! Which is a real problem because I'm functioning with STM (Short Term Memory) Loss or, as I grew up knowing it has, CRS (Can't Remember Shit) syndrome!
Well, I've got GREAT news! During one of my recent Doctor appts. this STM was finally explained to me! Yes, it's been bothersome now for a time (it's not always been this way) but I wasn't finding the answer to why! (Lord knows I'm getting older but hey... I'm only 47!) All I could say to ppl was, "Sorry, I've got STM!" and never knew why! Well, NOW I do! One of the side effects of being on Femera (Cancer Pre-vention Medication) is STM because of the hormonal medication messes with the "wiring" of our bodies! Doctor also informed me that my 5yr window period for cancer will May of 2014, however Dr. Friday may want me to continue after that! Yippee! NOT! ha She also comforted me by saying STM is better than getting cancer again! Of course, having it 3x already I did AGREE!!! :-)
People misunderstand my point of view (thought) much of the time because it comes out differently then what I'm trying to mean! And because I don't want to be misunderstood and a "target" I tend to choice my words carefully with those "know-it-alls."
So, that's what I deal with - LEARNING to communicate with those who need a "chill pill!" Judge me if you'd like but I'm no longer embarassed to admit I've got STM and have a hard time conversing with the "know-it-alls." Life is too short to be a target of someone elses anger! And if you get offended - that's YOUR problem not mine!
So, that's what I deal with - LEARNING to communicate with those who need a "chill pill!" Judge me if you'd like but I'm no longer embarassed to admit I've got STM and have a hard time conversing with the "know-it-alls." Life is too short to be a target of someone elses anger! And if you get offended - that's YOUR problem not mine!
Sharing God's Word ~ "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." Matthew 7:1 As many know I am the Editor for our monthly Church Newsletter. And because this is also a public Newsletter, I'd like to share a well written article by Pastor Greg DeMuth, Administrative Pastor of First Ev. Lutheran Church.
(Praise the Lord ~ First Luth now has a FT PERMANENT PASTOR (& one that plays guitar)Woohoo!!! Thank You Jesus!!!)
Anyway, lol, this article is Well-Worth the read! It's my hope that it'll turn those wheels in your thinking to what God spoke, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged."
How about a LOVE revolution? ;-)
A number of years ago I met a man named Walter. You might say he was a little…DIFFERENT. Walter was 70 years old. Walter had a pony tail and wore a skirt—with panty hose and hiking boots. Every Sunday Walter picked flowers from his garden and placed them on the altar. To be honest, I had trouble being kind in my thoughts toward him. But that wasn’t the end of the story.
About 2 years later I found out that Walter had a wife. I met her in our church basement while she was sewing a quilt to be included in a Lutheran World Relief package going overseas. She seemed “normal” in comparison to her husband as we chatted. “So what do you think of Walter?”, she asked. I was completely unprepared for the question. “Well…uhh…”, I stammered. She laughed sweetly and told me his story. Walter had served in Viet Nam and had been exposed to some chemicals used to kill jungle vegetation. After years of failed treatments from the VA Hospital, Walter started wearing skirts because they provided the air circulation that the damaged skin on his legs needed. He wore panty hose to help contain his flaking skin. As I listened, I felt ashamed of my attitudes toward Walter. I had allowed outward appearances to blind me to who he really was. The truth was that Walter loved Jesus and had a precious saving faith in him.
As far as God’s word is concerned, all of us were “Walter’s”—all of us were outcasts. We didn’t look good enough on the outside to impress God. Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated…strangers…having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Eph 2:12, 13) Instead of “weirdo” or “loser” or whatever name might have been placed on us, God gave us a new name: “my very own child”.
As we reach out into our community, there will be people who walk through our doors that will look rough, or scary on the outside. We need to remember that they need the love of Jesus just as much as we do. We need to welcome them and to get to know them. We also need to remember that all of us were outcasts in God’s sight until he washed us in the blood of his Son Jesus. Sooner or later God will put a “Walter” in your path. Be ready to accept and love, just as you’ve been accepted and loved for the sake of Jesus.
Walter died in 2004 of west Nile disease. His last request was for me to play “Crown Him with Many Crowns” at his funeral.
I was honored.
With my love to you in Jesus,
Pastor Greg DeMuth
Greg DeMuth
Guitar Geek & Creative under-achiever
http://www.sacredgroundmusic.org/
