Beware
of Your Words
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and
you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” – Luke 6:37
She sat in
the very back, watching it all. When the pastor began praying, she began talking
about how awful he is and listing all that he had done to harm her church. She
is furious at him for what she believes he hasn’t done. She doesn’t see the
need to look in the mirror.
A few years
back she needed, and received, grace. She was fired from her job because of
harsh words that deeply hurt a child. Her church, the very one she attends, extended
grace and helped her heal. This church even offered her a job that led to her
restoration in her chosen field.
And now she
sat back and condemned a man for doing his best in an awful situation. She
rarely lifts a finger to do anything but judge. She’s blaming someone else for
all that she sees wrong. She believes, as do others, that a new pastor will fix
everything. It won’t because the problem isn’t the pastor. The problem is her
and all the others who expect more from one person than he can possibly give.
The problem is that we all have forgotten about serving others.
We are so
quick to judge, aren’t we? We tell ourselves we’re entitled to our opinion and
we are. But the Bible reminds us repeatedly to watch our words. The tongue can
do so much harm, especially when the devil is in our hard hearts.
Our church
is discussing disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church. One reason is
that many have formed a wall against a pastor doing his best. Is he perfect?
Absolutely not. None of us are. We forget that sometimes. We also sometimes
forget that we are called to serve with our hands and feet and not just with
our checkbooks. We are called to love. And we are warned not to judge.
I don’t know
what will happen to our church. Only God knows. I’ve no doubt, though, that the
Holy Spirit is grieved by all the anger and hatred permeating throughout the
hearts of His people.
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