åYou, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? Romans 2: 1-4 I have been silent for a while now. I have been going through a personal valley, a journey of seeking what is important to me and realizing how my own fleshly ways impede the direction I wish to travel. When I began the journey, I was in a deep sadness, one like I have never felt in my life; a suffocating kind of darkness. In retrospect, I have come to better understand God’s light a little more. I started the book of Romans over a month ago. I really was looking forward to it. By all intents and purposes I should be long finished with it. However, I got stuck in the first two chapters. Chapter two is the chapter I want to share about today. If ever one wants to learn just how depraved one is, all they need do is read scripture and try to live a holy life. I have a saying I flippantly say often: “the harder I try to be gooder, the worser I am!.” Wow is that ever so true. Here is what I am learning … Romans says: I am without excuse. I can point fingers all I want at others and render judgment regarding their lifestyle, but in so pointing I am pointing out my own failures and sometimes pointing them out glaringly! “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else. For at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” Wait, wait, put the brakes on! Are you kidding me? I really do those things! Really? Hmmmmmm and God says: “ yes!” Ok ouch … Let me try to illustrate this a little more precisely. Let’s say I am seeing one who lies a lot. I know lying is a sin for sure. I see the lying in clear and blatant ways. Both parties know it is a lie. I think, why do they do that; that it is so wrong. Yet I do not think that way when I make something out to be lesser than it is; when I tweak the truth a bit to satisfy myself. No, no in my case it is different. I have my reasons and the long boring stupid story progresses until I look so stupid and repulsive even I do not recognize myself when I look in the mirror. OR maybe I am witnessing one who is out of control. They lose their temper; they are profane and they break things. Oh I do not do that. God looks at me and says “Really? Not only do you not speak the truth you are incredibly blind! After all, do you not do those things in the privacy of your mind? Here comes God’s light in my dark world. His standard is very high. While I do not do outwardly things my mind and my heart do harbor them and in His estimation it is as though I performed them outwardly. I am the greater liar. I pretend to be who I am not. To measure up to God’s standard, I must be holy inwardly first so that inside and outside walk parallel to one another. In my journey, God is revealing to me how that is not true for me in areas of my life. Father forgive me. The next leg of my journey resulted in even greater challenges. While I work at trying to right myself before God, it seems those around me are even more obvious to me and I find myself frustrated. You know how they say: “Do not ask for patience unless you are willing to go through trials because it is through the trials we build up patience?” So it is when one tries to learn about being holy. In order to see the brightness of God and the purity of His standards one must see how incredibly dark we are and actively walk toward God’s standards and do so without judging others. The first stumbling block is to remember to be humble. Remember what you really see is yourself. You cannot recognize something is wrong unless you have first learned it was wrong in the first place. Where do you learn that lesson? In my case, I learned it by my own actions. In this leg of my journey I still make a fool of myself often. It feels like trying to swim to shore during a riptide. Some greater force than my own will, fighting me away from the shore. I want desperately to get there but the harder I try the harder the tide feels against me. Another glimpse into God’s light. God tells me in scripture that: His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Well, God I am your child why is this so hard? The answer is so simple yet so difficult for me to follow. The answer is because you have a yoke around your neck that is not mine. Join Me. Follow Me. Ok God I want to do that can you show me what that looks like? Never ask God a direct question unless you expect Him to answer you directly … because HE WILL. Here is what he showed me about doing things HIS way: BLESS those who persecute you. PRAY for your enemy. Be QUICK TO LISTEN; SLOW TO SPEAK and SLOW TO BECOME ANGRY TURN the other cheek GO the extra distance FORGIVE AND FORGIVE AND FORGIVE AND FORGIVE PRAY PRAY PRAY SEEK DO For OTHERS as you would like them to do to you (I am to do it first not wait) Be the first to make peace. (It does not matter what they do for me to be right with God, only what I do) Change how I look at things; “consider it PURE JOY when you encounter various trials knowing… Think on these things: what is pure, noble, of good repute FLEE (run like your life is in danger) from sin (oh and by the way, your life is in danger) BE STILL and KNOW that I AM GOD LOVE unconditionally Obviously, this list can go on. God’s word is filled with many things to refocus my mind on and actively do each day. So, I began this process (yet again in my life) and what happens? People rise up and challenge me with contradictory things. I stand up to them they remind me of my sinfulness. I speak truth I am accused of standing up for one and not another. I find that the journey is very hard. I get frustrated for the umpteenth time and I ask God: God, Father, Abba… you said your yoke is light and your burden is not heavy what am I still lacking? Liz, latch the yoke, look forward and trust me. Do you trust me? If you trust me you will see my truths come to light. But, if you keep looking for my truths trying to do it your way, in your human strength you will never find the weight of the burden lightened. This kind of strength is found in me and only me. Only I am strong enough to walk the journey. Liz, place your hand in mine and walk with me. Put your hand in mine and do not let go and if you feel like you are going to lose your grip trust me to hold on for you. TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND DO NOT LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEGE HIM. One of the lessons in which I am gaining a clearer understanding is this: When I look at others and judge them for their mistakes, their sin … I would do better to kneel in prayer and seek God’s forgiveness for my own sins and ask God to strengthen me and while HE is working on me, would He please help my friend. Then rise from my knees and strive toward the finish line rejoicing when I arrive that my friend arrived just before me.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 00:28:13 +0000
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