There isn’t
anything in any other human being that isn’t in me; the good, the bad, and the
ugly. What I do with all that stuff is
up to me. God created human beings out
of dirt but He also breathed a bit of Himself within us. His design plan for us was that we would be
His image bearers and reflect that image in our lives. Part of that image was a freedom of
choice. He didn’t make us simply to
dominate us. He made us to be in
Relationship with Him, just as He was One with His Word and His Spirit. “Like US we were created…to be like them.
Right out of the
box Adam and Eve chose to abandon God and strike out on their own, with the
help of the serpent who tempted them, not to be like God, but god themselves,
doing their own thing and disregarding God’s command and warning of the
consequences of not listening to Him.
Human beings have been doing it “My way” ever since. God continually tries to help us back to
where we should be ever since.
“If you do well, will you not be
accepted? And if you do not do well
sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must
rule over it” (Genesis 4:7).
“I have set before you life and death,
blessing and curse.
Therefore choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:11-20).
“For my people have committed two
evils; they have forsaken me
The fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns,
Broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13).
“The true light, which enlightens everyone,
was coming to the world…
Some did not receive him. But to
those who did receive him”
(John 1:9-13).
All people have
that choice. I can choose to follow God
through receiving and believing in Jesus of I can live my life following the
lusts of my heart, my dishonorable fleshly passions, and my debase mind
practicing all manner of unrighteousness.
That choice is up to me and only me.
The temptation
that comes after I have made that choice for myself is to get haughty in my
choice and try to do what even God didn’t do…MAKE others choose what I
chose. This is not God’s way, Jesus’
way, nor is it to be my way. When Jesus
was telling Peter what his life would be like by following him, Peter
immediately turned to John and said, “Lord, what about him? Jesus responded, ‘What is that to you? You follow me” (John 21:20-22).
Judgment of others
is God’s job and His alone. Only He
knows what is in the hearts of people.
Only He knows how He is working in the lives of others. My job is to follow Jesus and mind my
life. I can be a witness to what Jesus
taught and did. I can share what God did
and continues to do in my life. But I am
never to judge another person for their actions or behavior. Jesus teaches this
in Matthew 7:1, 2 and Matthew 13:24-30.
Paul teaches this in
Romans 2:1-11.
There will be a time of Judgment.
But God is the only One who is in a
position to be the Judge.
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