In Paul’s
Letter to the Romans, we’re reminded to monitor our own actions to see if we’re
“living
for the Lord. None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if
we die, we die for the Lord…” (Romans 14:7-12)
Paul also
asks us, “…why do you look down on your brother or sister? For we shall all stand before the judgment
seat of God; for it is written: As I live, says the Lord every knee shall bend
before me, and every tongue shall give praise to God. So, then each of us shall give an account of
himself to God…”
Upon
reflecting, I realize that my internal monitor, which checks to see if I’m “living
for the Lord” doesn’t
run constantly. Rather, I’m often
distracted, as I look away from my own actions, and begin looking to see how my
neighbor is doing with their walk with the Lord. Almost two thousand years after Paul wrote his
letter to the Romans, the same lesson applies to us. We still run interference, so that the
“light” doesn’t shine too long on our own missteps. There’s a difference between speaking to a
good friend to help them get back on track and judging another person’s actions
or words as foul. At that point we begin
running our mental commentaries about them.
The two actions use different motivations. In the first example, we’re following what
Christ has asked us to do, to bring others along with us on the journey, in the
second we’re just judging. We’re not
likely to show this person the Kingdom of Heaven with this approach.
Jesus tells
us that “…there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who
repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance…” (Luke 15: 1-10). God wants all peoples gathered up unto
Him. Jesus came to show us the way. When the town was ready to stone the prostitute
to death, Jesus gently invited the one without sin to throw the first
stone. When everyone had left without
throwing anything, He told her He didn’t condemn her either. After blessing her, He told her to go and sin
no more (John 8:1-11). By example He
brought many unto Himself. We’re His
hands and feet on earth today, and in following Him we’re asked to lead by His
example.
I ask Jesus
for His Blessing on this day, and in this week, to help us all to be more aware
of the moments when we slip out of the self-correcting mode and begin to watch
and judge others whom we know to be His creation too. Correcting ourselves is the greater
challenge. So whether our distraction is
towards a family member, a co-worker, a teammate, or someone on a national or
international level, may we stop in that moment and ask God to touch us and to
touch them in Blessing with His Love. In
that moment, we’ll be shown the step for all the future moments, and we’ll grow
in Holiness. Thankfully the Lord is
patient, so still today as in the time of Paul, we’re being called to be
Perfect as the Heavenly Father is Perfect (Matthew 5:48).
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