Love and Judging

1 John 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

How can we respond to a scripture like this?  Whoever keeps God’s word, in Him is the love of God perfected:  and because of this we know that WE are in HIM.  Why?  Because we can only keep God’s Word by FAITH.  Right after Jesus fed the five thousand and he needed time to refill His Spirit by solitary prayer, he sent His disciples on ahead in a boat (Matthew 14:16-32).  There was a rough sea and the wind was against them when Jesus came upon the disciples WALKING ON WATER.  Here they had experienced two miracles, they had seen God multiply seed sown (the bread and fishes), and they had seen Jesus walking upon the surface of the water. 

If you wonder why this was so incredible consider Genesis 1:6 where God divided the waters from the waters.  Jesus showed Himself the Lord of the Waters.

Instead of accepting this awe inspiring occurrence the disciples cried out in fear.  Remember, the opposite of love is not hate; it is fear.  Fear drives Muslim terrorists to attack and murder entire villages of Christians or Jews.  Fear drove the KKK to murder freed slaves and make their lives miserable.  Fear prevents a woman from submitting herself to her godly (important part) husband in the face of her contemporaries criticism.  Fear makes sinners run from or curse Christians (often with good reason).  Fear means you have little love of God in your soul and fear means you have little faith.

We can overcome fear and exercise our faith.  Exercising our bodies means we get sore and stiff until we build them up.  Exercising faith means we might get wet like Peter did when he stepped out of the boat and walked on water to Jesus until the crashing waves frightened him.  He had faith but in the process of building it up he stumbled and began to sink.  Give the man credit; he had the presence of mind to cry out, “Lord, Save me!”  Jesus answer was not, “I have you!”  His answer was, “O you of small faith, why did you doubt?” 

It is good that we love God.  It is good that we take steps of faith even if we occasionally get wet.  What often grieves God is when we lash out against those who are different than we are or serve Him in a different administration.  It might be because you are young and immature or because you have been hurt over the years.  Whatever the reason it is clear when we react in fear or anger that we are not made perfect in love.  Over and over I hear people say, “God is going to get you!”  Beloved, we’re not in THAT chapter of history right now.  We are in the dispensation of GRACE! 

We won’t follow scripture closely because we are afraid to.  That is a lack of love.  We aren’t willing surrender our will and we try to find verses that let us get away with lifestyle decisions and other actions.  That is a lack of love.  Your level of love is DIRECTLY linked to your level of obedience to His scripture.  Over and over I hear people tell me, “We are not under the law!”  My answer is that YOU do not appear to be under ANYTHING or ANYONE.  If you were under God you would submit to Him.  It is certain that America as a whole is NOT one nation under God.  I’d be satisfied if we Christians were one people under God. 

One last point that God has been hammering at me lately is insisting I speak into your hearts.  I spend a fair amount of time on Facebook trying to keep track on how some of the people I know are doing.  Lately there seems to be a powerful movement of finger pointers and judges of ministries.  The Word God gave me in this is that He is our judge, NOT YOU.  When you are judging you are not loving and praying.  When you are judging you are pointing a finger right back at yourself and God will make sure that your standards of life are just as high as you are requiring of others.  He might not judge you for sexual sin when your sin is pride though.  He will judge any sin for any sin.  Is that what you want? 

The first verse He gave me is Romans 14:4:  “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant?  To his own master he standeth or falleth.  Yea, he shall be raised up because God is able to make him stand.”  By your words of malice you have already condemned yourselves of the sins of judging, backbiting, whispering, malignity, etc.  The second word He gave me was Matthew 7:1-2.  I’ll let you look those up.  The third was Psalm 105:15, 1 Chronicles 16:22,  “Touch not my anointed ministers and do not harm my prophets.”  When you put your mouths upon a minister you do not agree with or even one who has stumbled and been caught in sin; you will surely be judged by God.  God destroyed the very nations HE called to punish Israel.  Israel needed to be punished and God chose His instrument to do so but the nations who carried out that task were utterly destroyed for touching God’s anointed and sinning people.  Think about that.

I guess what I am saying is to keep your mouth closed and your knees busy in prayer.  Many of you need to repent and ask God to forgive you for your OPINION.  Personally whenever I get afflicted by Satan and start speaking against someone, I get down on my knees and beg God for His forgiveness. 

There are ways to help correct someone in sin.  Scripture says, “Ye who are spiritual (that leaves a bunch of us out) restore such a one in a spirit of MEEKNESS.”  It also says to take two or three (I suggest three) witnesses let every word be established and if that person is a danger to God’s house then you must still meekly and humbly speak to him in love and grace.

Take care beloved.  Do not allow Satan to drive you into error and pride.  Do something gracious for that person you have been looking funny at.  Pray for them and keep their sin private.  If God feels they are ignoring His many warnings and decides to go public with their sin, don’t you be the public address system He uses.  It might cost more than you want to pay.