Happy Thanksgiving

I'm counting my blessings this Thanksgiving, and remembering I have much to be thankful for. I have a wonderful husband who loves, supports and cares for me. And after being sick this year, I am more thankful for my health. I'm thankful for relationships being restored in my family this year. I'm thankful for my dogs that are preparing me well for parenthood someday. We are blessed with wonderful friends, even though most of them live far away. I'm thankful for a roof over my head and food in my fridge. I really could type all night. Yes, the Lord has truly blessed me.

To Judge or Not to Judge

To Judge or Not to Judge.
In the last couple of years it has been my experience while witnessing or sharing Scripture with unbelievers that I keep running into the same reaction from people, “Doesn’t the bible say we shouldn’t judge?” Most of these conversations have to do with people choosing to live in a homosexual lifestyle and whether or not they should have the right to be married. So I decided it was time to dive into that scripture, because looking from their perspective, I can see how it would come across as judgmental, no matter how many times I say that we still love them, but cannot condone their lifestyle.
When I did a search for the word “judge” in the bible I found a couple of interesting stories in the Old Testament that actually seemed similar to mine. Turn to Genesis 19. We’re looking at Sodom. Lot welcomes the visitors/angels into his house and the perverts from Sodom come knocking at his door.
6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! 8 See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”
9 And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. 10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
First of all, let me just say that I am so glad that Lot was not my father! Second of all, I’m going to judge Lot here and say that I think Sodom has rubbed off a little on him. I don’t think he was being “led by the Spirit” to offer his pure daughters to the perverts.
Anyway, what was their reaction? “He keeps acting as a judge.” In other words, Don’t be judging us! There is NOTHING new under the sun! (Ecc. 1:9) Lot called them on their wickedness; and the sinners called him on judgment.
Turn now to Exodus 2. It’s the story of young Moses.
13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion ?”
14 Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
Ooooooo. The perfect transition into Matthew 7. The famous verse. Jesus said:
1 “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?
Who is Jesus speaking to here? We go back to chapter 5 to find he is speaking to his disciples, so believers. This is the Sermon on the Mount. Ok, so he is speaking to me and you. Look at verse three…”why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye.”
Look at James 4
11 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?
Am I saying it is ok to judge non-believers? No. But we are called to judge between what is good and what is evil.
Isaiah 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.
Romans 12:9
Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
Look at King Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 3:
8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
And the next part of the chapter goes on to give an example of Solomon’s gift to discern and judge.
In my most recent experience Shawn and I were sharing with his cousin and she made the comment that Christians seem so judgmental. And again, it was over the homosexual agenda, we’ll call it. And we told her that we can see how it can come across as judgmental because for the most part “the delivery” of the message has been that way. But what it really comes down to and what I wish was delivered more was this…
Psalm 33:12
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.
If we begin to call evil good and good evil, woe to us. We are going to lose God’s blessing.
I know I tend to focus on the homosexual agenda, but it is the debate of my generation. Abortion has almost been forgotten about or accepted by this generation, even though it is just as evil. And shame on us for doing so.
So let’s look again at our Old Testament stories…
Lot in Sodom called what they were doing wicked. Was it? YES! Was he judging them? I don’t think so. He was calling evil, evil. And telling them to not do this evil thing.
Moses coming upon a scuffel on his walk… Was he a part of the scuffel? No. Did he have a plank in his own eye and trying to get the speck out his fellow brother’s eye? I think so.
So my friends in these last days are you ready to call evil, evil and good, good? There is a judgment day coming. It’s not really something we talk about very much in our “God-is-love- or – there-is-no-God-Society”. And by the way, like Kent Hoevind says, Evolution is just a cop-out. If there is no God, there is no judgment and therefore I can live however I want to live and don’t have to answer to anybody.
Psalm 9
7 But the LORD shall endure forever;
He has prepared His throne for judgment.
8 He shall judge the world in righteousness,
And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
There is a judgment day coming. We need to go out with compassion and share the good news. Jesus came to save us.
And when you are being accused of judging hopefully you can say yes, I will judge between good and evil and woe is me if I don’t! And woe is this country if we don’t!

"NO!" seems to be the most common phrase coming out of my mouth right now. Brittany, I think you may be right...a baby may be easier than a puppy. But I'm still weighing the sides. :) I won't tell you what he just pulled out of the trash in the bathroom (I forgot to shut the door), I'll leave it to your imagination! :) Shawn is doing a great job training him though. He can sit now and he is getting better at drop it. He's trained on the leash and is sleeping in his kennel in the living room at night. He's not quite house broke but that's getting better too.
American Brittany's are the copper color. He was bread with European bloodline, so he came out black and white. I wanted to name him Panda, but it sounded a little too feminine.
The three of us went on a trail walk down by the river with my friend Dana this morning. It was beautiful. Sadie's coat is pretty long right now so she must have gotten hot because she jumped right into the river. Good thing she is a good swimmer! Rocky wanted to follow suit, but I had him on the leash so he could only get his feet wet and get something to drink. Next time we go down there I'm going to have to take my camera. It was so pretty.