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President John F Kennedy is credited with saying “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. In essence he borrowed heavily from a principle taken from the Holy Bible. The apostle Paul has that same principle in mind when writing to the church located in Corinth. That principle can be stated in many ways but in its simplest terms, what we get out of something is directly proportionate to what we put into it. When we stop contributing to the emotional and physical needs of personal relationships, we stop feeling fulfilled by them; when we stop putting forth our best effort at the workplace, our jobs become mundane and redundant; when we develop a consumer mentality in our churches, we “no longer feel fed/get anything out of it.” It carries over in our spiritual lives as well. When we fail to plant the seeds of prayer, scripture and corporate fellowship, we stop growing spiritually. Then we wither under the weeds of this worlds concerns and wonder where God is. A neglected field offers no crops regardless of the weather. We can’t expect God to provide fruit when we haven’t cultivated the seed. Here’s the good news. He doesn’t expect perfection, he only seeks progress. Step out. Step up. Watch him work!
God is always working and when God works he always makes something good. We don’t see it because we get busy; we are distracted by human thoughts and actions; we are unable with feeble humans eyes and mind to comprehend Godly thoughts. Look carefully for his working through the eyes of his Holy Spirit. When you don’t see him trust he is there. He is not silent. What he is doing in the background is good.
Quite often, if not always, when we are brutally honest with ourselves, we lose hope when we focus on the finite rather than the infinite. I get discouraged when things don’t go my way. I get sad when life deals me a bad hand whether it be as a consequence for my own behavior or attacks from others. When I set my mind on God (sometimes forcefully?) and remember my only hope comes from him through his Son Jesus, then I can praise him. Praise is like a light in darkness. No amount of darkness can defeat the smallest amount of light.
I hear it every once in awhile. The attitude is definitely more and more common. When sin is called…well..sin, the response is often some version of “Don’t judge me!” The argument is pulled from an erroneous idea that we are told not to judge others. The reality is, judgement is appropriate, but only by the standards God ordains.
The world judges by interpreting external factors. God judges based on divine knowledge of your heart. Judgement of others can’t come without intimate knowledge of circumstances, environmental factors, their past and intention. Don’t judge as the world judges, judge as God judges. Get to know and love people before making a judgement regarding their actions. This is done over time, through prayer and based on Godly wisdom and grace.
God’s judgement is sure. God’s judgement is right and just. But God’s judgement is also done with divine knowledge, patience, unconditional love and grace. It is never done to destroy, but to try to bring those sheep he loves into the fold. The father of the prodigal didn’t spend his time judging, he spent it looking down the road.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 