Daily Bible Study for Thursday July
7, 2016
By: Hanny Lynn Stearns
Fish N
Loaves Ministries, Inc.
“Multiplying
God’s Word Around The Globe”
Chapter Reading
for Today: Please read in
your Bible before proceeding. Note that most translations are considered
paraphrases. The Young’s Literal Translation provides a more accurate
translation since he is the one who authored a concordance. Others are helpful
for seeing a different perspective, but we cannot always depend on their
wording. I hope this is helpful to you. If you are studying in another version,
that is fine. I am studying from the KJV, but for the purpose of this study, I
will keep it with the New King James Version.
One final note: I will put the scripture in italics to differentiate from my
own writing. I am adding red to the letters when
it is Jesus talking – just like the Bible. Thank you.
Bible Gateway Verse of the Day
Psalm 18:30
As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
Psalm
100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless
His name.
Psalm 7
Judge Yourself
Oh the Psalms are so wonderful, aren’t they friends! In today’s
chapter it looks like David is dealing with enemies again. Like we discussed
yesterday, he was a king so he probably had a bunch of folks trying to cause
him grief. If we think we have problems, perhaps it would do us well to place
ourselves in his shoes for a few moments. Maybe we would gain a new perspective
about our own situations by doing so. Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father;
Thank You for always being here when we need You. In every
situation we face in this life Father, we can come to You and fully trust You
to help us. Just today I have seen You answer so many prayers and help me in
wonderful ways – all because of Your sweet love and tender mercy. We praise
Your name as we enter into Your presence and Your word today. We look forward
to the lesson and the changes that You want to make in our hearts. Lord, we are
so grateful that when we don’t ‘get’ something, You graciously come back around
and show us the same thing again and again until we do. Thank You for ‘turning
up the volume’ so we don’t miss the valuable lessons. Help us to grow up to be
mature Christians and an asset to Your kingdom work. Father, I ask You to think
through my mind and speak through my heart and hands to carry Your message
forth to this known world – here in America and across the globe Sir. May it go
forth unhindered and unchecked by any outside force or my flesh. Thank You for
always watching over Your word to perform it in our lives in Jesus name. Amen!
We can imagine that David was dealing with some very specific
people and circumstances as we read this Psalm. He was going to God and stating
that he was placing his trust in his God. David knows the Lord can save him as
he presents his request to the Lord. The situation looks pretty desperate in
these verses, doesn’t it? David said that if God didn’t step in and do something
that his enemies were going to tear him to pieces. Have you ever felt like
that? I know I have and it is not a pleasant place to be. But the great thing
about a situation like that is if you know who your God is, then you know help
is on the way – all we have to do is ask.
Isn’t it refreshing to see how David was willing to take
responsibility for the situation if he had done any wrong? He wanted the Lord
to fairly judge the situation, and he put himself on the firing line right
away. David was no wimp He was a man after God’s own heart and he wanted to
maintain a clean heart regardless of the situations he found himself in. How
many people today are willing to step up and take responsibility for their
actions?
Ever since the 1960’s we have been living in a ‘no fault’ society. It
appears that nobody wants to accept responsibility for their actions. They want
to blame their enemies. They refuse to judge themselves as guilty of anything
except being a poor helpless victim of a situation they probably had more to do
with tan they would ever care to admit. That is our world today.
Sadly, we have people running around every day judging other
people and situations as if they really had a clue about the details anyway. David
was a fearless man. He was willing to allow himself be ground down to powder if
he were to be found guilty of any wrongdoing. Now that’s an honorable man, don’t
you think? After making his statement of accepting responsibility, David called
the Lord to take a stand on his behalf.
He asked God to judge him and judge the
people, noting that God is a just Judge. He knew that God is fair. He also
understood that God knows the hearts and minds of all men. What if we all faced
our trials with a heart like this? What if we were all willing to first judge
ourselves in a matter before we started pointing fingers at others? Accepting responsibility was a big deal in the Bible. Jesus
talked a lot about this. Let’s take a look…
Matthew 7:1-6
“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For
with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use,
it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you
look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your
own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let
me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?5 Hypocrite!
First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to
remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast
your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and
tear you in pieces.
Did you hear some of the things Jesus said coming out in the
Psalm today as David discussed his enemies? It is so glorious how the
scriptures, when rightly divided come together like poetry. Looking at
ourselves before criticizing another is the first and best step to take in any
situation. Every relationship we have will make some type of demand on us.
Other people will always have a different opinion about something.
We were all
uniquely made, so you won’t find two identical people on the face of the planet
ever – even if they are identical twins. God is amazing in that He was able to
individually wire each and every person that He knit together in their mother’s
womb to come out and be the only copy of them there would ever be. If that doesn’t
make you stop and stand in awe of the greatness of God, what will?
We recently had a series teaching on judgment at our church.
Maybe there were many like me who went into the series thinking they were not
struggling too much in that area. But oh saints, when Holy Spirit illuminates
the word in our hearts, suddenly we can see things that we didn’t know were
there. I went out of church crying as I realized that I had been judging a person
and a situation that I really didn’t know much about.
It grieved my heart. Jesus
stated in the above verses that with the same measure we use, it will be
measured back to us. What most folks don’t realize is that the laws of reaping
and sowing weave themselves into every fiber of our lives. Whatever we do to
another will eventually make its way back to us – just like David spoke about
in today’s chapter.
When we dig a pit for someone else, we will later be s
hocked to see that we ourselves are the ones who have fallen into it. Let’s
look at some more scriptures about judging others and judging ourselves. In
Luke the Bible takes it a little further…
Luke 37-42
Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall
not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.38 Give,
and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and
running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you
use, it will be measured back to you.”
39 And He spoke a parable to them: “Can
the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 A
disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will
be like his teacher. 41 And why do you look at the
speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 Or
how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you
yourself do not see the plank that is in
your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you
will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
Jesus was getting right to the point. How do we condemn
people? We do it all the time. We talk about them negatively to others, destroying
their reputation. Let’s say for example that you went to a Dr. and had a bad
experience. If you went and told everyone in town about the error that the Dr.
had made, you have condemned the man and given him a poor reputation. But what
if he had a bad day that day? What if he had just lost a son or daughter in a
car wreck and was having difficulty even maintaining his composure? Friends,
that is only one example among thousands where we go around and condemn people
for the mistakes they make, rather than giving them the same grace that the
Lord Jesus gave us every time He saw us blow it.
This stuff can pile up in our lives as we go around making
judgment calls about people and circumstances we know very little about. So how
can we handle it differently? We can love the person anyway. We can show them mercy.
We can pray for them. We don’t know much about anything in reality, and
thinking we do is our first mistake. I will tell on myself and say that I have
been guilty on all counts. If I didn’t like how someone handled something, I
made no bones about telling others about my experience. If I went to a store
and didn’t like the way the clerk dealt with me, I would share that story with
others, putting a bad taste in their mouths for that place before they ever had
a chance to step foot in the place. How unfair is that?
One day at work in the Dr.’s office where I worked in
southern Florida, I heard a friend who was also a professing Christian running
down a particular Dr.’s office staff member. Now this Dr. had a bad reputation
among all of us who heard the conversation, and anyone that these people would repeat
the story to. And maybe they just had a bad day or even a dad month. I have
found myself even speaking negatively about this business or that store and
after our series on judgment, I am working very hard not to repeat the negative
experiences that I have.
Why does anyone need to know those details anyway?
What does it benefit us to repeat the matter to someone else? Will it change
the way things went? Of course not. Will it help the person hearing our story?
Absolutely not. When we see or experience something negative, the best place to
go in our minds is to heaven, because the Bible says that we have the mind of
Christ…
1 Corinthians 2:16
For “who has known
the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we
have the mind of Christ.
So if we are born again and Holy Spirit is living in us,
then we can think like Jesus does because He is residing I our hearts. And we
can see what He said about not judging others. He didn’t judge and He told us
not to judge. There is only one Judge – the Lord…
John 5:24-30
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him
who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has
passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I
say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice
of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father
has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 and has given Him
authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at
this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His
voice 29 and come forth—those
who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil,
to the resurrection of condemnation. 30 I can of Myself do
nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not
seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
David said today in our Psalm that the Lord is a righteous
Judge. He is the only one who has the right to judge because He is the only one
who has never done anything unrighteous. If we are going to go before a Judge
saints, we want that Judge to be fair, don’t we? We all get our day in court.
Who would want to go to court and have a crooked Judge determine their future depending
on his mood that day? Nobody! Jesus didn’t come to bring judgment or
condemnation when He came, He came to bring salvation, healing and abundant
life to His people. But if He did judge a matter, it was a righteous judgment.
As far as people go, we just do not have the authority or the right in any way
to judge another.
What we do have the right to do as Christians is to love
people, including our enemies – even the ones who want to tear us to pieces. I
told you how the people treated me at my former place of employment at the
insurance agency where I had worked for 4 ½ years. It was like walking into an
angry hungry lion’s den every morning.
I never experienced anything quite like
that. I had dealt with some mean bosses in the past who hated me for no good
reason other than their own insecurities, but this group was a pack to be
reckoned with. I was on the firing line every day for months and I had to look
to God every step of the way, or they would have torn me apart and thrown me
out to the dogs.
Friends, we have all been critical and judgmental of others
at times – I am willing to be the first to raise my hand. But with God’s help,
we can learn to walk in love toward all people, no matter if they are saved or
still living like heathen. Look at this…
1 Peter 2:17
Honor all people. Love
the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
In this passage the Lord is telling us to honor all people.
He did not add an “except those who are not nice to you.” There are several
passages that command us, not suggest, that we love our enemies. We are to be a
submissive and God honoring people. We are the ones who turn the other cheek
when someone offends us. We let that stuff roll right off our backs like water on
the back of a duck. This is another way of saying, “Crucify your flesh!” Amen!
We all have flesh saints.
And when it tries to rise up and scream out for
vengeance or justice, look to Jesus and think like He thinks. Respond like He
responds. Love like He loves. I mean think about this. What if He didn’t love
you and me when we were out there sinning bad? What if He looked down from
heaven and said, “Uh, Father, those guys are really wicked. Why should I go down there and go through all
that pain and misery and take their sins and judgments upon Myself when they
won’t even really appreciate it anyway?” Can you imagine where we would all be
today? It isn't a pretty thought friends!
If the only one who has the right to judge people doesn’t
judge them, but saves them and sets them free, why should we as His children be
judging one another and even the outside world? There are certain situations
and circumstances that we have to make responsible judgment calls on. That is
another matter entirely. But when it comes to judging the actions and lives of
others, we are out of bounds. It is not our call. And as good Christian
soldiers, we need to work on keeping negative occurrences that we experience to
ourselves. It does no one a single bit of good to have it repeated. Proverbs is
full of wisdom and advice on this. Here is just one…
Proverbs 31:8-9
Open your mouth
for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge
righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
In the above passage, we see a case of making a right
judgment. There are good ways and bad ways to do this. As the body of Christ we
need to get it right. Let’s look in the book of James for a moment…
James 2:1-13
My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with
partiality. 2 For if there should come into your
assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in
a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay
attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in
a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my
footstool,” 4 have you not shown partiality among
yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen
the poor of this world to be rich
in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But
you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into
the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name
by which you are called?
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the
Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 9 but
if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as
transgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet stumble in one point, he
is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “Do not
commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not
commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So
speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For
judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
James 4:11-12
Do not speak evil
of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his
brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law,
you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There
is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge
another?
Friends, whether we are judging by appearances, behaviors or
social status, the only right way to consider others is with mercy – just like
the mercy we have all received. But you say, “Ya, but how do I stop myself from
thinking those thoughts about someone?” The answer is simple. You throw that
thought down like the Bible says. Cast it down like a dirty rag and replace
that thought with a good thought. You and I are the only ones who can control
our thoughts. We can have total and complete control over our minds, our
thoughts and our words.
When we talk we can say good and positive things. When we
think about another, we can make ourselves think right thoughts. And when we
open our mouths we can say the right things – kind and thoughtful things. And
when we mess up, we can humble ourselves (quickly) and ask for forgiveness.
If we have been giving out mercy to
others, when our turn to need some comes, guess what? We will get it – good measure
and pressed down, running over will men pour into our bosom. Because as Jesus
said, with the same measure we use it will be measured back to us.
David said to the Lord in essence, “God, You are good, You are
trustworthy, You are a good and right Judge. You always help those who do good
and You punish the wicked.” That’s my Hanny paraphrase, but you get the point I’m
sure. When people dig pits for others, they will fall into them themselves, ask
me how I know. Davis started off this prayer to God by placing his trust in Him
and he ended it with praising God.
That is the best way to start and end any
prayer. If we always show God that we trust Him, and praise Him, even before we
have the answer, we are in good shape. If we let Him deal with our enemies,
then we will be safe and in the end everything will work out for our good – if we
love God. He said so in His word. This life has many trials and difficult
situations that we will have to face at one time or another in our lives, but
no matter how high the waters seem to rise on us, He is a faithful God who will
not allow us, His righteous children to be overwhelmed.
Isaiah 43:2-3
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and
through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
Questions:
How did David start his prayer to God?
What was Davis willing to do as he presented his case to the
Lord?
Why is it important not to judge others?
Who is the only one who has a right to judge others?
What did Jesus tell us we need to do before judging others in
the Matthew verses?
In what way might you be judging others?
In what ways can you see the need for correction in your own
heart that you may not have realized before now?
Romans 12:1
Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you
are who judge, for in whatever you judge another
you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice
the same things.
There are three main points to
consider from today’s study…
Going to God in faith is the first
place to start when facing enemies in life
We must be willing to judge
ourselves if we hope to avoid judgment ourselves
God is the only righteous Judge
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for showing me how to look at the
specks in my own eyes before I start picking at other people’s specks. Father,
right now I ask You to forgive me for any critical or judgmental thought I have
had toward anyone else. Lord, show me what I need to see and correct in myself.
And Father, as You do, I will purpose to make those corrections with Your
direction so that I can always be merciful to others at all times. Thank You in
advance for Your help Father. I want to be a loving and non-judgmental Christian
and a great example of Jesus in the world around me. In Jesus name. amen.
Who having you been judging lately?
And God Said… You fill in the blanks.
1
Peter 3:8-12
Finally, all of you
be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as
brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil
for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that
you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For
“He
who would love life
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
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