I know the scripture card says to just read verse 7, but I read on and found some pretty good stuff. Check it out:
7So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
11 Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters.[d] If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. 12 God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?
This is often so far from the way we really live, which makes me wonder how things would be different if we lived this passage of scripture out.
How would your situation be different if you approached it with humility, not making judgments or assumptions about the other person, but considering them BETTER than you?
What would it look like if you submitted the whole situation and your attitude about it to God so that HIS will would be done?
What if, instead of judging other people for everything they do wrong, you put all that effort into figuring out how to live for God and obey him yourself?
The devil uses each of us, at different times, to hurt one another and tear one another down. He uses our hurts and offenses to divide us, because division makes a group weak and worthless. What if the next time we were about to get upset over something stupid, we chose to "resist the devil"?
Just a couple of late night thoughts and questions. Think about it...
Pastor Courtney
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