Grace and Judgment

I was reading the passage "interlude" between this week's passage and next week's. And I thought I would share something that was impressed upon me.
Here is the passage:
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
This is a remarkable passage! And many times it is taken out of context to proof text or prove someone's point out of context.
Unfortunately, many translations don't help with this! Many of them, in an attempt to set apart the sections of text, called pericopes, cause a misinterpretation. The previous section, Luke 6:27-36, is talking about mercy, or as Nazarenes like to sometimes switch it over to Grace. This pericope is all about grace!!
And so we find that verse 37 continues that line of thought. It is all about grace! So when it says do not judge, it is all about grace. When it says do not condemn, it is all about grace! These two lines are called parallel verses. They act to clarify each other. This is to illustrate the definition of judge and to help understand what judge and condemn are and what they are not about!
So do not be confused! This pericope is all about expounding the idea of mercy. It is NOT about having a moral relativistic attitude! We are to use discernment. We are to, as one scholar put it, "have an ethical evaluation."
The explanation goes even further, as the concept of the full measure is given. This is not a measure that is short or less than expected. It is a fair measure. It is completely full. Pressed down, shaken together and running over. That's a full measure!
And that is what we are to give in material needs and also in mercy. And that is also what will be given to us in equal reciprocity.
Pretty powerful stuff! Mercy is to be dispensed in ways and means of the wallet and the heart. Freely. Completely. But it is not about the giving to receive. It is about giving to give. Receiving will come in full measure, and the giving cannot be dependent on the receiving.

Have a good week!

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Consumed!

Here are two of the references I was looking at for today. If you want to read them in their entirety make sure you read the comments in each of them.

There are so many broken people in this broken world!

Five Reasons the Church Failed

Dear Homosexual Friend

I haven't had time to look at Chick-Fil-A's list of people they donated to yet. My hope is that these accusations are false. You are not a Christ follower if you hate people.

Reconciliation Part II

Here is one of my clips that I used for Reconciliation II. This was about how we are reconciled through Christ and in Christ to God and each other!

Reconciliation belongs to Christ. It is his thing! Pursue Jesus for a reconciled heart and a reconciled relationship will follow.

Here is the Impossible God opener I used last week for my message. I thought some that weren't here might want to see it. (Although it has no moral value.)

http://youtu.be/Otm1RSxdjFk

Mission Impossible - Impossible God!

Sometimes our life feels like this. It seems like we are doing the impossible. That our life is full of things and situations that are just too hard. This is what leads to hopelessness.

A lack of hope comes from not seeing a way out. A way to succeed.

And there is only one answer to this problem. One.

We put God in a little box that says what He can and can't do. Only through releasing our minds from this rut can we realize the power, majesty and strength of our God.

God looks at our problems and says, "Hey, those aren't that big. I AM the IMF (Impossible Mission Force). Difficult is just a walk in the park. And to go one step further, God makes the impossible, possible. What is keeping you from truly trusting in God? What has failed? What is it that is keeping you from seeing a way out? For God, all things are possible. Do you believe, or not?

Billy Mays - king of the Pitch

Here is a video that made me laugh. It is from a Jay Leno skit. I found it when I was doing research for my sermon this week.
Enjoy!



The message today is on More. We are always searching for more, but more of the wrong thing. There is so much more that we could have of God that we aren't claiming!

Seek More!

Spiritual Retreat 2012.3

Today the weather was great! I had asked God to make a time so that I could go hiking again today. I worked on the vision this morning and after lunch I was ready to go hike. I looked outside and the sky was clearing and the temperature was 63 degrees! Thank you God!

So I decided to head over to Frontenac State Park and go up the bluff. It was going to be a longer hike. With my boot rubbing a little on my heel I decided to push it anyway.

I ended up hiking 6.3 miles! It was wonderful. I talked to God and listened and praised him. I saw a squirrel and birds and then I saw two sets of deer.

Here are the links to see my walk yesterday and today also:

Yesterday: http://s3.amazonaws.com/accuterra/1334806372.kmz

Today: http://s3.amazonaws.com/accuterra/1334781767.kmz

Here are my stats, which was kind of fun to know:

Trip 1:

Adventure Statistics:

Time:

 

Start: 1:34:44 PMStop: 3:19:22 PMDuration: 1 hr 44 min 38 sec
Distance: 4.2 milesSpeed:
Average Speed: 2.4 miles/hrAverage Pace: 24:38 mm:ss/mile
Elevation:
Minimum: +662 feetMaximum: +823 feet
Trip 2:
Adventure Statistics:
Time:
Start: 1:17:45 PMStop: 3:45:23 PMDuration: 2 hr 27 min 38 sec
Distance: 6.3 milesSpeed:
Average Speed: 2.6 miles/hrAverage Pace: 23:26 mm:ss/mile
Elevation:
Minimum: +715 feetMaximum: +1131 feet
 


 


 

Panoramic from Bluff

I did end up getting a blister on the back of my heel. I'll live. : ]

Great day with God today. Tomorrow I head back in the afternoon. Although I video chatted with my family both nights, it wasn't the same and will be glad to get back to see them.

Have a great night all!