Lessons in the Wilderness - Part 10
Romans 2:1-11
One could argue that it is fairly easy to get worked up in "righteous anger" when talking about the sins of others. It honestly takes a good deal of restraint to refuse to participate in judging others, whether that is out loud, with someone else, or in our own minds. We can judge someone, without even speaking to them, in about two seconds or we could go as long as two hours having a conversation about the sins and shortcomings of others. Either way you look at it, it is easy to judge others and we could spend a lot of time talking about that.
What stands out to me most in this passage is how equally easy it is to miss God's plan and God's guidance for our lives when we are so concerned with the lives of others around us. Imagine what it would be like to get to heaven and have our Lord show us the time we spent judging others while we continued to miss opportunities to look to Him for own growth and guidance.
The fact of the matter is, we ALL fall short. (Romans 3:23) Rather than ignoring that altogether (or holding too tightly to it and have a "why bother" attitude), we should instead fix our eyes on Jesus. If we fix our eyes on Him, we won't be worried about what's going on around us -- instead, we will be fixated on imitating Him in all that we do.
Think about it in the context of this passage: Jesus always pointed out the judgment of the pious Jews on others whether it be Gentiles, Samaritans or simply the obvious "sinners." Paul reminds them in this passage that all will be judged -- both Jew and Gentile. Meaning, God is not going to leave anyone out. So the Jews, those who were quick to judge, better make sure they are more concerned with their own actions, and what God expects of them and had expected for years. For Christians today, that is a solid reminder to not look down on those who we decide are falling short, but to look up. Let's fix our eyes on Him and His ways. When we do look up and fix our eyes on Him, we will find that He is calling us to look around. Rather than push to the side or look down on those we deem as unworthy, God is calling us to invite the lost to join us on this journey.
"He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers." Romans 2:7 NLT
One could argue that it is fairly easy to get worked up in "righteous anger" when talking about the sins of others. It honestly takes a good deal of restraint to refuse to participate in judging others, whether that is out loud, with someone else, or in our own minds. We can judge someone, without even speaking to them, in about two seconds or we could go as long as two hours having a conversation about the sins and shortcomings of others. Either way you look at it, it is easy to judge others and we could spend a lot of time talking about that.
What stands out to me most in this passage is how equally easy it is to miss God's plan and God's guidance for our lives when we are so concerned with the lives of others around us. Imagine what it would be like to get to heaven and have our Lord show us the time we spent judging others while we continued to miss opportunities to look to Him for own growth and guidance.
The fact of the matter is, we ALL fall short. (Romans 3:23) Rather than ignoring that altogether (or holding too tightly to it and have a "why bother" attitude), we should instead fix our eyes on Jesus. If we fix our eyes on Him, we won't be worried about what's going on around us -- instead, we will be fixated on imitating Him in all that we do.
Think about it in the context of this passage: Jesus always pointed out the judgment of the pious Jews on others whether it be Gentiles, Samaritans or simply the obvious "sinners." Paul reminds them in this passage that all will be judged -- both Jew and Gentile. Meaning, God is not going to leave anyone out. So the Jews, those who were quick to judge, better make sure they are more concerned with their own actions, and what God expects of them and had expected for years. For Christians today, that is a solid reminder to not look down on those who we decide are falling short, but to look up. Let's fix our eyes on Him and His ways. When we do look up and fix our eyes on Him, we will find that He is calling us to look around. Rather than push to the side or look down on those we deem as unworthy, God is calling us to invite the lost to join us on this journey.
"He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers." Romans 2:7 NLT
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