Judge Not!

One of the most misused passages in scripture is found in Matthew 7:1-6 which begins with the familiar phrase, "Judge not, lest ye be judged." I'm sure you've heard it; a public figure is caught doing something wrong and they use the snarky retort, "Judge not, lest ye be judged" even though they will most likely reject every other teaching of Christ. I have heard believers say those very words themselves in relation to other's deeds or their own. Did Jesus really intend for us not to make any judgements about others? Scripture speaks volumes about this.

We can start investigating scripture for an answer in the same chapter, vv 15-20, where the multitudes were told to beware of false prophets. How were they to know who the false prophets were? Would these false prophets identify themselves by handing out their business cards, showing their IDs and introducing themselves as such? No. Verse 15 says false prophets will disguise themselves as true prophets. In some cases, false prophets are deceived themselves (look at II Tim 3:16). Jesus told the people that false prophets would be identified by their deeds. Jesus then, is telling the people to make...gasp... a judgement about a person's works to determine whether they are speaking God's words or not. It gets worse. Look at Titus 1:5-16. In this passage, Paul actually charges Timothy to apply a certain standard in choosing elders in the church of Crete. Paul even says that there are those in the church who are "liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons," quoting a local prophet. Wow, Paul is judging them even though Jesus said, "Judge not lest ye be judged!" Paul asks Titus to act on this judgement by commanding him to sharply rebuke them.

Obviously, Jesus did not intend in Matthew 7:1 for people never to make judgements about others. There are countless passages in scripture that command us to not only judge but even to act on that judgement. I expect wicked men to misuse scripture, but I must correct my believing brethren who hold to and practise the cultural interpretation of this passage (or use the culture's interpretation as a cop out when they are wrong). Jesus is warning the multitude he is addressing of hypocrisy; maligning others for doing something wrong when you yourself are doing the same thing and/or worse. People who violate this principle are identified usually as gossips and busybodies. People who adhere to the actual principle Jesus is teaching are motivated by love and not pride. They will confront someone in their sin humbly for that persons good. An excellent passage written to Timothy by Paul in II Timothy 2:14-26 exemplifies the proper way for a believer to correctly judge and rebuke. Paul casts judgement upon some in the church and lays out for Timothy how he should deal with these doing wrong in vv 23-26, exhorting him to correct those in error with out disputing but in humility and love, for THEIR GOOD.

There are many reasons for a believer to judge according to scripture, but never to make us feel better about ourselves. Often, it's easier to say "judge not" than it is to do the right thing and approach someone in humility about their sin.

Don't Try This at Home...Or Work

When I have conversations with tree trimmers, I always tell them that I would hate to climb around in trees and they always tell me that they would hate to climb near high voltage lines. I'm pretty sure neither of us would try this.




Or this...

Old DSL Ad

In a world of cheesy commercials, this one is...well...cheesy.

It takes all kinds...

You meet all kinds of people in this job. Some are just like this guy only they are not joking.

Doubt

Do you ever find yourself questioning your faith in God? When life is chaotic or when something tragic happens around you or to you, do you wonder where He is? Perhaps it is when another believer has a moral failing or wrongs you that you question the validity of it all.


Doubt strikes me when I'm busy. When my job demands much of my time and there is little time left for things other than my family, that is when the seeds of doubt are sown into my thoughts. Usually it will strike late in the day when I'm behind the wheel moving from one job to the next. I'll be deep in thought and then the question creeps in, "Is there really a God, or is Christianity just a construct of man?"


This question bothered me when I was younger because I thought that a true Christian wouldn't struggle with faith in God. I incorrectly believed that I was the only one wrestling with these thoughts. The realization that other believers, particularly those I look up to, have struggled with these doubts at times too was an encouragement to me (not that I'm glad they struggle!).


Why do believers sometimes struggle with belief? This seems like an strange question but I think it has a pretty simple answer. We struggle when we either lack understanding of who God is or allow the focus of our attention to be distracted from eternal matters to the temporal (Col. 3:1-2). The spirit of doubt invades my life when I'm busy, tired, and focused only on what I'm doing at the time. The enemy strikes when and where we are weak. When I find myself considering God's existence, I know that I am in a weakened, self-absorbed state; ripe for the enemy to create confusion in my mind (I Peter 5:8). These doubts are a wake up call for me, kind of like driving past a sign that says you're on a road heading the opposite direction you intended to travel.

Quick Reasons Why We Homeschool

Homeschooling our children was not a decision we came to quickly or easily. The discussion began in our family before we even had our first child. Homeschooling is a big commitment and a lot of work that we believe will have many benefits to our family.

There was no single issue or reason that made us decide to try homeschool, there were several. There were a few major reasons, though. The first had to do with the time our kids were away from home. They were gone from 7:30 to 4:00 and when you factor in homework, baths and dinner, there was almost no time left with them. The reality of this schedule is that their teachers spent more time with our kids than we did. How do we fulfill our responsibility as parents to train up our children if we never see them? We really desired the ability to spend more time with our kids during these early years of their lives to know, train, and equip them for when they become older. Homeschool provides us with this opportunity.

Another major factor in this decision is the issue of stewardship. We were given these kids by God and entrusted with the responsibility for their care. We have had our kids in christian school because we believe that the teachers and curriculum there best reflect our worldview and and the values of scripture that we teach in our home. Public school, or government school as I call it, was never an option for us for reasons that I could write a book about. As our children (3 of 4) have come to school-age, we have had somewhat of a crisis in our budget as christian school is not cheap. This is where stewardship came in again. It became an issue of living above our means and we either had to work more, cut more, or find an alternative. Homeschool became an opportunity not only to spend more time with our kids, but also relieve the financial pressure that tuition has placed upon us. Our financial resources are now freed up for other things that benefit the family and others.

God did not give the responsibility of raising our kids to the state, teachers, or even the church. That responsibility goes to the parents. These others play a support role. Too often, I found myself relying heavily on these other entities as I didn't have time to do it or was too tired to put in the effort. But God has laid it on our hearts to take an active role in training our kids. Our example to our kids has a real effect in in their lives. Their spiritual training, for example, is incredibly important. If we as parents rely primarily upon the church for our kids spiritual training then how serious do our kids thing we are about spiritual things? Will our kids think that God has first place in our lives if the only time they hear about Him is on Sunday? You do not need to homeschool to teach your children about God in the home, I just threw that in there at no extra charge.

Priorities

Sorry. I've been lazy. I cannot believe it has been over a month since I last updated this page. I will commit to my reader out there somewhere that there will be a substantiver article here sometime this week.

How easy it is for our possessions to take ownership of us! Meet my most recent master. Above is an '81 Honda CB750 that I bought to save some money on gas (the fact I love to ride motorcycles didn't hurt either). Over the last few weeks however, this tool I purchased to help balance the family budget had become an all consuming nightmare that had subtly taken the time, money, and effort that used to go to other things. The truth of the situation finally hit me this last Friday when I used half of my day off to try and figure out why in the world it only wants to run on three cylinders instead of four, while my family was inside the house spending the time we had together by themselves. What an incredible waste! This motorcycle had become my master instead of my servant. Happily, we ended up going to the beach and had a great time together (my family, not the motorcycle). Even though we know better, sometimes we take our eyes off of what is truly important and become absolutely focused on something that matters not one bit in eternity. It is selfishness, and I admit it and repent of it. Again.

Our family began homeschooling today. My next post will explain how we got there.