Do not pronounce judgment before its time,
when the Lord comes… (First Corinthians 4:5)
Lent is a time to see if we can forgo something, like food, for example. It’s not that food is bad—it’s good. But, sometimes we forgo something good in hopes that it will reveal something better. Forgoing judgment came to mind. Making judgments about things is like food, we need it to live. But sometimes we over judge something, like over eating or over drinking, and we make things worse.
When the Apostle Paul gets in a fuss with Apollos, with church folks picking sides, he suggests they forgo making judgments and see how things turn out. I’ll let Paul speak for himself (1Cor 4:4-6):
I do not even judge myself. I am not
aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby innocent. It is the Lord
who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the
Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will
disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation
from God. I have applied all this to Apollos and myself for your benefit,
brothers and sisters…
Maybe forgoing judgment, particularly of another, will grant surprise benefits for ourselves and for others.
No comments:
Post a Comment