Judge for Yourself

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. 

Luke 6:37-38a NLT

So often, we want to be the judge of what we want and or need from life. We want to make our own decisions about those things that concern us. Well, what DO we want out of life? Peace. To love and be loved. Make a decent living. Have people like us and not be judged by them. Maybe not necessarily in that order.

What do we need out of life? Security, Love, Forgiveness... Also, maybe not necessarily in that order.

Want and need are actually two very different criteria; yet, if we follow God's instruction, we find both. If we don't judge, we won't be judged. (Love) If we forgive, we will be forgiven. (Forgiveness) If we give, we will receive. (Security) It's rather straightforward. It really is as simple as our Promise for Today lays it out for us. Judge for yourself.

Prayer:

Father,
          Open our eyes of understanding and soften our hearts to receive Your Word. Give us wisdom, O God. Help us to know and understand Your will for us. We want to live as You would have us to live, holy and acceptable unto You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

What I Want

[Paul writing] I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen

1st Timothy 1:12-17 NLT

What I want...

Father,

          Thank You for Your faithfulness and trustworthiness in our lives. Thank You for always keeping Your end of the Covenant even when we've broken ours. Father, we want to be faithful to You. We want our hearts, our minds, our souls - our wills to be faithful to You and to Your ways. We have not been. We've been faithful to our flesh and to our feelings. Please forgive us, Lord. Let us - help us to be people who can and who will be faithful - fully trustworthy to Your will for our lives.

Help us to see past the failures and inabilities in our lives and to put them behind us. Let us see and hear only what You would have us to do and be. Cause us to put You first. Help us to die to our flesh - to be dead to our worldly desires and alive to only You. Let it be said of us, Father, that we are faithful because of You. Cause our will to line up perfectly with Yours. Put a guard over our words - Your arm around our shoulders and Your hand over our mouths. We don't want to be a toothache or a twisted ankle like is written in Proverbs 25:19.

Thank You for all the immediate responses to our heart's desires. Forgive us, Lord, of ALL our unfaithfulness. Forgive us for all the times we have failed You. Replace our wandering hearts with whole hearts toward You and what You would have us to be and do. Father, Your Word tells us so we KNOW that You are at work in us both to WILL and to DO...

Give us the strength, the courage of conviction. Cause the Holy Spirit to bring all things to our remembrance - such things as are needful and necessary to complete the work You have assigned to our lives. Father, in our daily - everyday lives - we have not been faithful. We own that and ask You to change our hearts. We pray Your Word in Isaiah 64:8, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.  We want to be more like You, Father. Engrave Your image on our hearts. Cause our love to be agape. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen