OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: THURSDAY 21TH JUNE 2018
THEME: Judging or Teaching
HYMN 7: Wonderful Story of Love
- Wonderful story of love;
Tell it to me again;
Wonderful story of love;
Wake the immortal strain!
Angels with rapture announce it,
Shepherds with wonder receive it;
Sinner, O won’t you believe it?
Wonderful story of love.Chorus:
Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!
Wonderful story of love! - Wonderful story of love;
Tho’ you are far away;
Wonderful story of love;
Still He doth call today;
Calling from Calvary’s mountain,
Down from the crystal bright fountain,
E’en from the dawn of creation,
Wonderful story of love.
Chorus:
Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!
Wonderful story of love!
3. Wonderful story of love;
Jesus provides a rest;
Wonderful story of love;
For all the pure and blest,
Rest in those mansions above us,
With those who’ve gone on before us,
Singing the rapturous chorus,
Wonderful story of love.
Chorus:
Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!
Wonderful story of love!
Memorise
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. James 3:1
Bible Reading: Acts 28:1-6
1 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.
2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.
3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.
4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”
5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
Message
In a bid to evade the verbal chastisement of the word of God coming from the mouth of fellow believers, some Christians quote these words of Jesus in Matthew 7:1-2
“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
Such Christians conveniently forget the words of 2 Timothy 4:2, which says
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”
While it is true that some Christians today are quick to judge others for the situation they are passing through, which is an attitude the Lord warned us against, it does not mean that we cannot declare the counsel of God whenever we are so moved by the Spirit of God to do so. The question is, what is the difference between having a judgemental attitude and declaring the whole counsel of God through teaching or preaching? Just like vengeance, the judgment also is the prerogative of the Almighty God.
As demonstrated in the story of the adulterous woman, He alone is the accurate and righteous Judge. From the story, we see that man’s judgment can be faulty, because the one judging others may be guilty of the same sin (John 8:7-9). Only God is without sin, therefore He alone is competent enough to pass judgment. Indeed, He has passed judgment through His word, and He will confirm this judgment through the Lord Jesus Christ on a day he has appointed ( John 12:48, Romans 2:16).
To be judgemental is to judge wrongly. Many are prone to doing this, and this is the reason why we are warned not to judge. Paul’s experience in today’s Bible reading is a typical example of the error of man’s judgment.
The Lord had just spared the lives of Paul and those whom he was traveling with on account of Paul’s right standing with Him. While the apostle was gathering sticks to increase the heat of the fire that was keeping them warm, a poisonous snake caught him by the hand. Some of the native people of the land where they were shipwrecked jumped to the conclusion that Paul was evil and that was why nemesis was still after him, even though he had managed to survive a shipwreck (Acts 28:4).
How wrong they were! Let us, therefore, be cautious before drawing connections between events because our knowledge is limited. Let us allow the word of God speak the judgment of God by itself and not insert our own speculations and motives into the fray.
Action Point: Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2Timothy 2:15).
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Kings 23, Acts 14:19-28, 15:1-11
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE