Weekend Words

Apologies for not getting a post on last weekend. I did get to the afternoon session of the Mennonite conference, but have also had a lot of headaches, home and garden chores, appointments, etc.  Hoping for a better run this week... (photos are from my walk this morning)

From Beside the Still Waters...

Don't Be Quick to Judge - Read: Romans 2

"Judge not, that ye be not judged.  For with what judgment judge, ye shall be judged." - Matthew 7:1-2

Today's Bible reading and key verse tell us to be very cautious about judging other people.  The reason is that the way we judge others is the way we will receive judgement. This is a sobering thought that should cause us to use great care in our criticism of each other.  The human tendency is to feel that if you don't agree with me, you must be wrong.  We do ourselves and others a great benefit if we always remember what the Bible says about judging.  Many people have been wounded because others were more ready to judge than to listen.

Sometimes people carry deep hurts in their heart that cause them to look or act in strange ways.  Jesus the Good Shepherd gave His life for the sheep.  Are we willing to lay down our life for fellow sheep - our Christian brothers and sisters?  We need to be charitable with their faults because we love them too much to judge without knowing all the facts.  It is always best to "wear the other person's shoes" before we judge him about something.  Is it kind?  Is it true?  Would I want it to be said about me?

Often we judge others wrongly because of our biases.  We tend to show favor towards ourselves and our friends, and disfavor towards people we dislike.  If our ill-tempered neighbor has a weedy garden, we consider him lazy; but if it's our friend's garden, we reason that he must have good reasons.  Judging fairly requires a heart that is sanctified and free from ill will and bitterness.  We do well to honestly examine our own hearts first; then our brother's problems will look smaller or even disappear.

Denver Yoder - Somerset, OH

Pray, don't find fault with the man who limps or stumbles along the road,

Unless you have worn the shoes he wears or struggled beneath his load.

- Mary Torrans Lathrap

The Way Home - Read: Romans 8:1-21

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." - Romans 8:6

On December 24, 2022, blizzard like conditions developed in southern Ontario.  I have a tractor with an enclosed cab, so I decided to venture out with it and remove some snow from our neighbor's driveway.  However, I did not realize the fury of the storm.  The distance was less than half a mile, but the visibility was so poor that I simply inched along.

I finally arrived at my neighbor's driveway, but as I turned in, something very unusual and disturbing happened.  Because of the frosted windshield and swirling snow, I became completely disoriented!  I desperately wanted to head back home, but which way should I go?  If I moved in any direction, I might get further away from home and end up some place that I didn't want to be.  Finally after much deliberation, I decided to leave the comforts of the tractor cab and look for a familiar landmark nearby.  I soon found such a landmark, and only then did I feel sure of which way to travel so that I could make it safely home.

On our spiritual journey, we also run into circumstances where we can't see clearly.  The visibility becomes foggy, we become disoriented, and we hardly know which is the right way to go.  There are so many elements swirling around that we lose our direction.  What should we do?  Today's key verse gives a landmark that is very helpful.

A spiritual mind enlightened by God's word is always a faithful landmark.  Following our carnal mind may be comfortable, but it is not safe.  Let's remember this when our visibility in life becomes unclear.  The Word of God and the Spirit of God are the only reliable landmarks to give us direction and peace and to guide us safely home.

Joseph Kuepfer - Newton, ON

The way of the cross leads home.