Judge Yourself First

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

-Matthew 7:1-5 (KJV)

A good friend of mine on Facebook shared an article someone had written about judging others. I think that we, as Christians, focus to much on judging the actions and life of others. Were we called to judge? I don't think so. We were, however, called to teach all nations the things that Jesus commanded us (Matthew 28:19-20). So, if we are going to judge others, we first must judge ourselves. That's the idea behind the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:1-5.

Verse 2 says, "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." The standards we use to judge others will be used on us. Verse 5 says,"Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." How can we judge others, when we ourselves have faults of our own? We can't judge someone else without first judging ourselves. 

Too many of us like to point out the faults in others, that way we can take the focus off of our sin and point the focus on another's sin. Before judging others, make sure you have nothing hidden. Think About It.

Spirit Work

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

-John 16:7-11(King James Version)

In these passages of Scripture, Jesus is teaching us about the Holy Spirit, and teaching us about the work of the Spirit. One thing to note before we study about the Spirit's work, is  found in verse 7. "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." The Disciples, no doubt, clung to Jesus. The time of His departure was at hand, and they were going to carry out the work Jesus started. They may have been terrified at this thought, yet Jesus promises them someone who will be with them. He calls Him the Comforter. Many of us who live in colder climates know that a comforter is usually a big, thick, heavy blanket that we use to protect ourselves from the cold weather. The Holy Spirit (the Comforter) will protect the Disciples so they can do the work they are called to do. This same Comforter will protect us as well. Jesus says that it is expedient for you that I go away. Why is it so important that Jesus goes away? Because if He doesn't the promised Comforter will not come. Now, the work of the Spirit is threefold.

We read in verse 8, "And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment." Reprove means "convict or convince." The Spirit will do work in the world. Look at what He does:

• Convince the world of sin. We all need a Savior. The Spirit will convince us that we, indeed, fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23)
• Convince the world of righteousness. We can't attain the righteousness of God without Jesus, and without the Spirit, we will not realize our sin and our need to be right with God. To many of us try to make our own brand of righteousness. We proclaim things like, "Live for today." "It's my life and I'll live it like I want!" We can't make our own rules and expect God to bless it. (Rom. 10:3) We need to live in such a way as to glorify God. 
• Convince the world of judgment. Judgment is coming. One day, each and every one of us will stand before God. For those without Christ, they will be sentenced to an eternity in Hell. For those who have given their lives to Christ, to those who followed the convincing of the Spirit in regard to sin, and who followed the convincing of the Spirit in regard to righteousness, those are the ones will will enter into Heaven. You see, the world around us is evil, you don't need me to tell you that. It's those who put their faith in Jesus that will overcome the world.

Have you answered the convincing of the Spirit? Has the Spirit been calling your attention to your need for a Savior? Think About It.

Talkin' Scripture: Love or Judge?

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