Song: Oh How I Need You

Artist: All Sons & Daughters

Windows

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

Matthew 7:1-2

Don’t judge. It’s often touted as an excuse for relativism. You do your thing. I’ll do mine. No judgment here. But it has to mean something other than never judge. Scripture repeatedly (even Jesus himself, later in this very passage!) encourages disciples to use discernment – to evaluate the rightness and wrongness of things – to make value judgments.

So what is Jesus aiming at here?

It’s a kind of judgmental, fault-finding attitude – that’s often blind to our own faults.

And that’s the rub. Judgment feels good – because we’re always looking at others, laying the best in ourselves alongside the worst in others. We feel better about our position – in relation to others. We’re comfortable in here, looking out the window at others to point out their flaws.

Mirrors

But then Jesus adds: the way you judge is the way you’ll be judged. It sounds a bit like something he says just a few verses earlier:  If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.

God forgives those who forgive, and he condemns (judges) those who condemn. In both cases, the motivation for our acts of mercy or judgment is rooted in how our heavenly Father treats us. These verses suggest that the orienting relationship in a disciple’s life is God-ward first.

And that means mirrors, as well as windows. Notice how Jesus continues:

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend,‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

Matthew 7:3-5

Today, before you look out the window, take some time to look in the mirror. Remember God’s mercy (and withholding of judgment!) in your life because of the work of Christ in you. And then? See how that changes the view out the window.

BE RECONCILED

Matthew 5:23-25– “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.  “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison.

Reconciliation. Forgiveness. A cornerstone of the Christian faith.

Can you imagine life without reconciliation with God?  How awful and hopeless.

Thankfully, God sent His Son and reconciled us to Himself through His Son!

Romans 5:10–For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more certain, having been reconciled, that we will be saved [from the consequences of sin] by His life [that is, we will be saved because Christ lives today].

In the command of Christ in Matthew 5, we are told to reconcile with those who may have something against us.

The Message says: “If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.”

Immediately.  How often do we excuse away what God is telling us?  We wait.  And then we forget.  And then we don’t do what we should have done.  You get the picture?

We are to initiate reconciliation with others, whether or not we are the one harmed or the one doing the harming. Notice the verse is not concerned with the other person, but with you.  It is not a matter of our rights.

The true mark of the saint is that he can waive his own rights and obey the Lord Jesus.  Oswald Chambers

How often do we make the excuse that we would have initiated the conversation but we weren’t in the wrong?

Whether we are angry at them or we have harmed them, we are to take steps to reconcile the situation.

Paul writes in Romans 12:18–“Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”

It comes down to our obedience to the voice of God.  If God is telling us to do something, are we willing to do it even if it might make us feel uncomfortable?

We can sweep it under the carpet and feel fine about it.  Or we can be obedient to the voice of God who cares about every minute detail of our life.

Remember, God knows what’s best for each and every one of us.  He knows what can happen when we don’t reconcile a situation.  There can be anger and bitterness on either party, and that is bad for any relationship.

So, the next time you are quiet before God, ask Him if there is anyone that has a grudge against you, and if there is anyone you need to reconcile a situation with.

Ask Him what the steps are to take care of the situation, and do it!

The power of reconciliation and forgiveness is amazing!

Let It Happen – United Pursuit Band

²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 ESV

Take my yoke.  For many who have been believers a long time you’ve no doubt read this passage a hundred times.  But for today– take a moment and let those three words sink into your soul.  Take my yoke.

Take my yoke…and you will find rest…

Jesus, as He so often does, gives us a paradox.  How can we put on a yoke and expect it to give us rest?  Usually, we lay things down in order to find rest.  But Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you.”  Jesus wants you to pick something up so that you will lay something down.  You can’t take something on without letting go.  You can’t receive something into your hands if your hands are full.  You have to let go.  And this is the point of the narrative.  You have to let go.

Too many of us want to hold on.  We hold on so long that we rarely let go. Today the Command of Jesus is to let go….let go of your worry….let go of your kids….let go of your finances…let go of your spouse…let go of your boss….let go of your future.  You were never really in control anyway.

Jesus wants you to let go so that you can take His yoke.  When we take His yoke we attach our lives to His.  We learn from Him.  We are learning His ways not our ways. When we let go we give full control to Jesus.  It doesn’t mean that we do nothing.  It means we stop doing things our way.  We stop trying to control the situation. We stop trying to spin things our way.  Instead we allow Jesus to work His way in our life and in the lives of those around us.

You’ll never really find rest unless you let go and let God.  Learn from Him today.  Be obedient to what He tells you to do and leave the rest in His hands.  I promise, if you walk in this simple truth, your burden will be a lot lighter this week!