TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. Matthew 7:1
Read: Matthew 7:1-6
Listen: Matthew 7
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Jesus’s words in the Sermon on the Mount were strikingly different from what the Jewish leaders taught. Instead of mindlessly following rules, Jesus’s words aimed at the heart where layers of sin can hide. He drives his instruction home at the end in the form of several “just don’t” statements. Don’t be a hypocrite who gives a holy performance but harbors sin. Don’t spend your life storing up worldly treasure and neglecting eternal treasure. And lastly, don’t look at others and pass judgment without love.
We’re looking this week at Matthew 7:1-6, one of the most quoted and misunderstood passages in the Bible. Jesus is not saying we cannot observe and discern whether someone’s behavior is right or wrong. Instead, we shouldn’t pass judgments on others without mercy, try to correct others without self-awareness or try to give help without boundaries.
Jesus knows there’s a lot at stake with this last warning. The way we treat each other affects the success or failure of all our relationships from social and political groups to our neighborhoods, workplaces, families and even the community of believers. He wants us to be people who express tolerance and love the same way he does.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Don’t get tired of offering your heart to God. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you be open to his prodding in areas you haven’t yielded to God. Ask him to help you grow as you learn what Jesus means about judging others.
NEW TESTAMENT READING PLAN
Join us this year as we read through the New Testament.
Today’s reading is Philippians 2.
