Scripture: Matthew 7 v 1 - 5: "Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
Over the past few days the Lord has been impressing on me the words......What we do to or for others is how we treat Him. How we perceive others and communicate with them determines how Jesus handles us.
This is very important in this day and age because we are given much influence by the media. We watch the News, receive our mail, bills, texts from friends, adverts, spiritual input over devices that are media controlled.
We base our judgments on the information we receive from people who have made a good or bad impression on us. Right now the Ukrainian president is the darling of the world, while his attacker is hated with a passion in every corner of the globe.
There are contrary reports that this war against Ukraine is justified because all the Nazis of the Second World War fled there to hide when Germany fell and their corrupt legacy caused Ukraine to become a haven for many illegal, criminal practices.
One of the Ten Commandments is Thou shalt not kill. Before our eyes the deadly force used against unarmed civilians is a crime against humanity. It's genocide and its wrong on every level. God's judgment on Vladimir Putin will be measure for measure what he has done to the people, homes, lives of Ukraine. He has gone all out to utterly destroy that country and seize it for the fulfilment of his own ambitions. Our eyes are upon God to see what similar response He gives him.
It's a shame Putin did not check the mote in his own jaundiced eye, his Communist fury over the breakup of the former USSR. All the nations that were released from that union are now in his sights of needing to be conquered in war or to submit willingly to the old order under Russia's control.
In our own lives we need to check if God is pleased with the way we treat people. The shame of a woman being strip searched by the British Police smacks of a very bad judgment call. It has raised debates in the British Parliament and no doubt heads will roll.
As Christians one of our attributes is modesty, which is a good moral habit to have. Victorian gentlemen would blush if a piano leg, or chair leg, was exposed to view. Catching sight of a lady's ankle through a gust of wind was truly shocking. How things have changed in just over a hundred years!
1 Timothy 2 v 9: "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;" He is reminding us that modesty, decorum, meekness is of greater value to God, than expensive adornments and Gucchi.
How should we judge ourselves? In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said if a man even looks upon a woman, other than his wife, with lust in his mind, he has already committed adultery with her. How many men react to pornographic images on their devices? How many abusive acts with children result from these images? We should shun and delete this trash that cause such shame and misery.
The words and intentions of the Bible have not changed over the centuries, but modern human beings are very quick to judge as weird, those who want to remain pure and unsullied from dirty jokes, dirty habits and dirty minds.
2 Peter 2 v 9 - 10: "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities." The word government in this verse refers to discipline and self-control.
With what measure will our God repay those who claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus yet have not repented of that which is a hidden sin, a work of the flesh? They justify themselves but anything they do about which their spouse cannot know or find out, is sin.
Luke 6 v 38: "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
When we live our lives according to the Word, and give our blessings to those He directs to receive, then His generosity overflows. He takes our gift and squashes it small and increases it to the same cupful, lets it run over the edge, and instructs others to bless us too. He makes our giving look huge and repays in the same measure. We can never outgive Him.
Malachi 3 v 8 - 11: "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts."
In the Old Testament a tithe was a tenth of your earnings, given to those who feed you from the storehouse of spiritual treasures. When you obey He opens Heaven to pour out a huge blessing. He rebukes Satan from devouring your income, health, crops and lives. When you withhold it you open the door for a curse. The same measure you give will be given to you.
Many Christians do not understand why they are going through hard times, why they suffer loss or divorce, are rejected, or struggle with doubt and unbelief. I am not writing these things to depress you but that you may check the boxes and see what you may be missing. It took me a while to grasp what I needed to adjust in my life before I truly walked in the power of the Holy Spirit.
From pulpits these days there is an absence of preaching that convicts of sin and shame. An absence of the consequences of doing your own thing. My dedication to God is to make Jesus and His teachings real, to cause people to be assured of Heaven, to show right from wrong.
By the looks of this world its life support plug will soon be pulled. Hopefully you will be Raptured into the sky above before that happens. Then you will be part of the thousand years restoration under control of Jesus who created it all. What a day of rejoicing that will be!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for alerting me to this area of need. You added more as I was writing! I pray the readers are edified and understand the depths of Your longing to bless them in full measure. In Jesus' name. Amen.