What if Jesus decided that He was not fully committed?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
(Hebrews 13:4 (NIV))

Today’s society seems to have forgotten this. Everywhere you look, you see the results of marriages that have seen the effects of unfaithfulness. According to the politically correct way of thinking, many people are saying that it just isn’t working, or they no longer want to be with their spouse, regardless of the consequences on anyone but themselves. Is this just another result of the “me first” mentality that has permeated our society lately? What has happened to the concept of for better or for worse?

What if Jesus decided that He did not want to stay around and fulfill the promise of salvation for you because He needed “space”? He made a committment to be our atoning sacrifice that would give us grace and mercy. He had the most to lose of anyone who has ever lived, yet, Jesus did not stop while He was on the cross and say that he didn’t want to be in this relationship anymore. He stuck with it and did what was best for everyone. It eventually was even best for Him. Perhaps we should focus more on Jesus and each other as a society and not on “me.”

Who do you focus on?

Copyright 1998 – 2015 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you want to be judged as you judge others?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?
(Romans 2:3-4 (NIV))

It is so easy to fall into this habit. Everyone is quick to judge, yet we fail to see the very same things in our lives that we rush to judgment when we see it in the lives of others.

What is it for you?

Do you judge others for their harsh tongue? Perhaps it is someone’s lack of self control. It may be someone’s desire to be the center if attention that makes you react. The biggest one appears to be judging someone’s success and making all types of comments about how they achieved it. It is so sad that people have a tendency to be very judging of others when they have the same traits. I suppose that it is human nature to find fault with others in order to make ourselves look good. We use it as justification. We tell ourselves that our sins are not as bad as those of the ones we are judging.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
(Matthew 7:1-2 (NIV))

God’s Word is very clear about what happens if we judge. When we judge, we place ourselves in authority over others. We presume to know all of the details and all of the reasoning behind someone else’s actions. We place ourselves as God. We pass judgment when we are the ones who are guilty. We pass judgment without offering grace or mercy. We pass judgment without stopping to think of the way that we appear in the eyes of God.

God uses the principle throughout the Bible about we will be judged as we judge, or we will be forgiven as we forgive. Think about that for a moment. Would you want God to judge you with the same attitude that you have had at times or would you want Him to judge with with grace and mercy?

What is you final answer?

Copyright 1998 – 2014 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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