Tag Archives: judging others

The Common Cold

by

0


The appropriate stench of man,

The nose cannot detect.

But let a man smell the stench of another,

And his neck will go erect.

The stench he should be smelling,

Should be his very own.

But breezes blowing perfectly,

He leaps to his righteous throne:

“How dare you air your filthiness

To all the rest of us?

Go bathe yourself in righteousness,

Prevent your putrid gust!”

It’s coldness of the heart, you see,

That causes the nose to stuff up.

Ah, if man would only warm himself

With a serving from Christ’s own cup.

By His Grace

Humility Takes Hard Work

by

0


Will a man take pride in being a Christian; lording it over others in his own mind?  It would do well for him to remember his humble beginnings.

He himself did not ask for salvation.  By the provoking and unveiling of God, by this alone he has perceived.  Before the Lord touched him he did not even know to ask.   How then can the pride of man accompany the Christian faith?

But isn’t this a perplexing ritual?  It is as if a caustic liquid that cannot be contained.  No sooner do we seal the leak, and judgment of others comes from another place.  Even the maturity of a man does not repair what lacks.

From the day of our birth in Christ, to the day we are received, we will find fault with ourselves if we look.  It is wise then to humbly consider ourselves every moment we are in this place.

Only with holy, God born, introspection, can a man stem this flood of sin.  We not only need the Living God’s Son for the sake of the day of judgement, we desperately need him for every breath.

What is not of God will be stripped away.  What does not belong to God will not inhabit his kingdom.  Sobriety, prayer, humility, and righteous doing is required.  A man should never be able to say to himself, “I have arrived!  I am mature!” (Certainly not while in this place of testing).

Renewing a mind of humility is a detestable work to the flesh.  But it is primary among the things of God. 

It is impossible to command a man to be humble.  The best we can do is remind.  If there is choice in Christ, is it is to go to him and ask.  And we know those who ask in truth, receive.

By His Grace

Why Did the Man Cross the Road?

by

0


Road blocked by landslideYears ago I did something so shameful that it has stuck in my mind.  It’s been over 30 years now.  But the memory is quite vivid.

I was walking into Troy, Montana, from my father-in-law’s property.  As I came into town I saw a man walking toward me.  He was quite shabbily dressed.  His beard hung low.  And everything I saw about him spoke of something my momma would have told me to avoid.   So I crossed to the other side of the road so that we might pass without saying “hi”.

As he drew near he spoke to me from across the road.  “Don’t run away from things you don’t understand.”  I looked at him and walked on by.  How shameful to judge that man by his appearance.  How deeply that experience cut into my heart.

And now, I see people avoid me because of the words I speak.  They don’t even get to avoid my body on an isolated road.  Now, I embrace every soul I can get near.  I recognize when others switch sides of the road as they come near.  But even those I will acknowledge with my eyes or heart.

I thought I would post this because………….. well, I don’t know.  Perhaps the Lord can use this to help others.