Good Judgment

James 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. In reading about King David's beginnings as a shepherd boy, it is amazing how much God did through his servant David, and David was known to be a man after God's own heart. Paul spoke of David with glowing terms as he referred to him as an ancestor of Jesus, and another part of the prophecy to fulfill the coming Messiah, who was Jesus. Acts 13:22 After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’ He was a godly man who fought mightily in the power of God, and God loved him deeply. There is always the asterisk we put by David's name and how God used him, and that asterisk is because of his sin with Bathsheba. Even though he failed, and failed miserably in our eyes, he was a great leader, a great king, and a man who knew God's forgiveness and God's blessing. All you have to do is read the Psalms to see how much David sought to follow God closely. I don't put the asterisk in David's name because I haven't seen where God put an asterisk in it.

When David was found out he confessed his sin to Nathan and Nathan said the following in 2 Samuel 12:13 And David said to Nathan: "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "Also the Lord has removed your sin; you shall not die. God knew that David's confession was real, and God did not kill David for his sins. If that were up to us we would judge him harshly and without forgiveness, but we don't get any judgment, because we too are judged by God and because of Jesus our sins are forgiven and we walk in the freedom of God's grace. So why do so many self righteous sinners still judge others who sin? Because they are trying to be GOD. Of course, that won't work in the area of grace because it is God's grace, not our grace. Our grace is conditional, but God's grace is not. Here is where God's grace becomes real for us. 1 John 10:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. We are all guilty, but the blood of Jesus covers our sin and God seeks us as pure.

If we are trying to judge we will come up with the thought that a person that is forgiven will surely keep on sinning, but grace is a much deeper experience than we truly realize and grace applied to our sin causes a major shift in our direction in life and we continue to move forward in the sanctification process without taking a step back. Justification makes this all happen, and God is faithful in the cleansing process, and those who don't forgive believe they are too good in their life to NEED forgiveness, thus self-righteousness. Here is what the writer of Isaiah said about this in Isaiah 64:6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away. We cannot work our way into heaven, and we for sure cannot be in a position of judgment on other sinners when God is the one who forgives. That is not good judgment. God's judgment is the only perfect and pure judgment, and we had better not stand in His way for another person!! Jesus said it like the following verses in Matthew 7:“Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? By the way, there is no asterick by your name either. If you want to have good judgment, then don't judge.

Today's Message,

David Warren