As the rain and snow

“Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some who belonged to the synagogue.., and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.  Then they secretly instigated men who said, ‘We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.’  And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council,  and they set up false witnesses who said, ‘This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law,  for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.’ And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

“And the high priest said, ‘Are these things so?’ And Stephen said:

“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham…

“‘You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered…’

“Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 6:8-7:2a,51-52,54-55

The heat in and around the early church smoldered and sparked and sometimes flamed. Burning words and hot threats from religious and civil leaders were meant to squelch the Spirit’s fire in Christ’s disciples, but the more they came, the wider the gospel spread. Heat always divides the pure from dross, seen in the telling contrasts between the petulance of Stephen’s instigators and his calm wisdom, their malicious deception and his veracity, their enraged attacks and his face like an angel. Abiding in the grace and power of the Lord gives steadiness in any storm.

When rabble rouses and antagonism stings and powers threaten, many cower, lose courage, or resolve, or faith altogether. But for the one filled with the Holy Spirit, increasing heat serves only to stoke the fire within. Opposition is opportunity. Vitriol is met with grace, lies with truth, ugliness with beauty. The key is to be tethered ahead of time to the anchor that is Christ, and to commit to His mission and work. If my identity is in anything or anyone else, heat will melt weak commitment. Secure in Christ, I can hold fast no matter the blast.

Where and how do I stand? How securely fixed is my heart on Christ and His gospel? What fear, or pride, or errant allegiances make me tremble and tempted to shrink back from acknowledging my Savior?

“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.” ~George Keith (1787)

Lord, help me hold fast to You, and burn only with holy fire.

“There came from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath… He had a helmet of bronze.., a coat of mail,.. a javelin of bronze.., and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron… The Philistine said, ‘I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.’ When Saul and all Israel heard these words, they were dismayed and greatly afraid…

“David said to Saul, ‘Let no man’s heart fail because of him. [I] will go and fight with this Philistine.’ Saul said to David, ‘You are not able.., for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.’ But David said, ‘Your servant used to keep sheep… When there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck and killed him. [I have] struck down lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God… The Lord who delivered me from [them]… will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ Saul said, ‘Go, and the Lord be with you!’

“Then Saul clothed David with his armor… David said, ‘I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them…’  Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:4-7,10-11,32-40

From the outside, Goliath’s very presence was foreboding, an impossible threat to the cowering Israelites. His stature, weapons, and verbal challenge outsized Saul’s men in every measure. Every day his defiance whacked a bit more defeat into the army’s resolve. Except for young David. He saw things differently, and lived with a different set of armor. He was the Lord’s, saw every battle as His, and was confident in His tested faithfulness and prowess.

When we live under the world’s standards, accumulating and using the world’s tools, our comparisons will always be on a limited plane. Man against man, word against word, strategy against strategy. But when we walk daily in ongoing communion with the Lord of lords, we see earthly opposition from a different, heavenly perspective, and have a mindset and weapons at the ready that are other-worldly. We’re familiar and comfortable with weapons of faith and the armor of God, because they are our daily dress. We’ve tested and tried God’s word, and are confident of its power to guide, protect, and win.

What Goliaths are we facing externally and internally? The firmer our stand for Christ, the greater the opposition, criticism, and challenges to our beliefs. Health, financial, and relational issues ofttimes provoke without warning. Invisible but raging temptation, resentment, jealousy, discontent, and discouragement attack. How will we respond or confront? When will we fit on and take up divine weapons for every onslaught, trusting His victory? (1 Samuel 17:45-46; Ephesians 6:10-18)

Lord, help me meet every taunt and enemy in the power of Your name, wielding the weapons You supply with alacrity and wisdom, so all may know the battle is Yours and You alone are Savior. (1 Samuel 17:46-50)

“Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ^{[sons of God, or sons of might]}
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord, over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
    and Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
    the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
    and strips the forests bare,
    and in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
    May the Lord bless his people with peace!” Psalm 29:1-11

Ascribe: to refer to a supposed cause, source, or author: to say or think that (something) is caused by, comes from, or is associated with a particular person or thing; accredit; an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship

The inexplicable uncontainable Almighty is worthy of measureless more than man can fathom or offer. Yet, made in His image and called to know and reflect Him on earth, we are to ascribe Him His due as we can. He is the cause, source, and author of every greatness. His name is to be glorified and His holiness invites worship. His strength, power, and majesty are sovereign over creation, His throne unshakable in eternity. Indeed, God is worthy of all praise and honor. (Colossians 1:16-17; James 1:17)

Have we investigated the Sovereign’s worth? How familiar are we with pondering His attributes and ways, and turning them to praise? How can and will we ascribe- with words, countenance, devotion, generosity, humility, and love- the greatness of our King?

Opening our selves to the splendor of God’s matchless name, our hearts to His immeasurable love, our minds to His fathomless wisdom, design, and benevolent providence, fills us with wonder. Such marveling compels us to ascribe to Him, in thought, word, and deed, His worthy honor.

“All glory, laud, and honor 
to you, Redeemer, King, 
to whom the lips of children 
made sweet hosannas ring. 
You are the King of Israel 
and David’s royal Son, 
now in the Lord’s name coming, 
the King and Blessed One. 

The company of angels 
is praising you on high; 
and we with all creation 
in chorus make reply. 
The people of the Hebrews 
with palms before you went; 
our praise and prayer and anthems 
before you we present. 

To you before your passion 
they sang their hymns of praise; 
to you, now high exalted, 
our melody we raise. 
As you received their praises, 
accept the prayers we bring, 
for you delight in goodness, 
O good and gracious King!” ~ Theodulf, Bishop of Orléans (c820); translated by J. M. Neale (1854)

Lord, may all I think, do, and say lift high Your name and magnify Your ineffable greatness before men, and unto Your pleasure and glory.

“If some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note the kindness and severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but kindness to you… And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

“Lest you be wise in your own sight,.. do not… be unaware of this mystery, brothers…

“For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy… 

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“’For who has known the mind of the Lord,
    or who has been his counselor?’
‘Or who has given a gift to him
    that he might be repaid?’

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:17-25a,30-31,33-36

In Paul’s explanation about God’s turning the gospel toward the Gentiles, he highlights that God does indeed work in mysterious ways. His chosen people Israel were set aside for a time in a supernatural plan that broadened the reach of the gospel to the Gentiles while coincidentally awakening jealousy in the Jews. In His divine economy, there was no room for smugness or desert, only awe. (Romans 11:1-12)

And so with us these conflicted days. Economic stress, political strife, civil unrest, broken promises public and private all set the stage for smugness as experts, taking the superior side, and proudly strutting our rightness. But God denounces that as wrong thinking. He will have none of our cocky arrogance or swagger of having deserved special favor. Instead, we’re to hush and bow in awe that He’s made Himself known to us in love, that He has by grace saved any. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

How could spending time, otherwise occupied with criticism and sarcasm, naming God’s attributes change our mindset? Diffuse antagonism? Foster love? Heighten our expectancy of how God can intervene in hard places? Pondering these possibilities leads to wonder of the unsearchable, inscrutable God, which redeems us from the inside out. When we consider His holiness and grandeur, there is no room for pride, only worship. Will I this day exchange all-about-me for Thee, only Thee? (Isaiah 6:1-5)

God on high, keep me in awe of You, offering You alone all glory.

“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

“Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father,” for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

“’I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’” Matthew 3:1-2,5-12

John the Baptist was from the womb a forerunner of his cousin Jesus. He understood in ways we cannot who Jesus was and what He was coming to do to free men. In preparation for this gospel, his words to the Pharisees were particularly fiery and pointed, as their very strict religious beliefs and practices were what the Lamb of God would by grace upend. If they wanted to make an appearance to confess their sins and be baptized, they needed to realize just what those sins were and what baptism signified. Identity with Christ required cutting all ties to legalism, pride, and appearance. Identity with Christ meant exhibiting much spiritual fruit. (Luke 1:11-17,76-80; John 1:6-8,23,29-31)

Sometimes the Lord’s voice to His children needs to be harsh. Our depravity and rebel spirits deserve strong condemnation and antidote. We seldom make as much of our sin as God does, and neglect to see how spiritually unstable our depravity and helplessness make us. We need the fire of conviction to get our attention and burn them away forever. What behavior and attitudes we think are alright to coddle and excuse and keep on simmer the Lord says obliterate.

What is our first reaction to God’s call to repent? Do we think that is for others, or another more convenient time? How seriously do we take this prominent teaching for His children? Obsessiveness with particular rituals and strict obedience in certain areas can gloss over a stained, ugly heart or pride. Over-familiarity with the world, comparison with others, and lenience with personal feelings make it hard to recognize and acknowledge sin. When will we take deliberate time to name and confess our sins before Holy God, and receive His cleansing? (Luke 11:4; James 5:16; 1 John 1:8-9)

Dealing with sin immediately as the Lord prompts us makes for a clean conscience and healthy living.

Lord, please expose my pharisaical attitudes and actions, cleanse me thoroughly, and fill me with Your Spirit’s fire.

“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.” Psalm 1:1-4

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
    whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
    that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
    for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
    for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

Blessedness is a God-given limitless possibility, a favor presented and promised to all who take seriously its invitation. Walk this way! Delight in, meditate on, trust in the Lord and His word! The image of a lush tree, spreading robust roots in rich soil by a clear, life-giving stream, redolent with green beauty and bounty awakens the senses and spirit, beckons us come. Be like a tree! Establish yourself! Reach your arms wide! Flourish!

Blessedness for us depends on where we walk, stand, and sit- with body, mind, and heart. The individual is blessed who takes joy in the law of the Lord and walks in His counsels. Like a tree, his choices bring organic flourishing of latent potential and fruitful prosperity.

The aim and determination of the individual is to refuse the world and delight and trust in the Lord. The result is life roots deep in wisdom, security, and unshakable faith, drawn through the Lord’s love and grace. Blessedness comes as a byproduct of a Godward position, of abiding, of drawing nourishment and bearing fruit. It then expands to wide-stretched influence, widening relationships, effective witness, meaningful living among and for others that feeds, refreshes, energizes, and encourages.

Have we set our will? Where have we established our allegiance? What counsel, what errant paths, what scoffers need we reject in order to delight in the Lord and His word? And how are we drawing on His supply? Would we choose to set aside consternation, fear, and anxiety for the riches of Christ’s wisdom and ways? His free-flowing blessedness awaits!

“Come, ye sinners, poor and needy, 
weak and wounded, sick and sore; 
Jesus ready stands to save you, 
full of pity, love, and pow’r. 

Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
true belief and true repentance,
every grace that brings you nigh.

Let not conscience make you linger, 
nor of fitness fondly dream; 
all the fitness He requireth 
is to feel your need of Him. 

Come, ye weary, heavy laden, 
lost and ruined by the fall; 
if you tarry till you’re better, 
you will never come at all. 

Lo! th’incarnate God, ascended, 
pleads the merit of His blood; 
venture on Him, venture wholly; 
let no other trust intrude.

I will arise and go to Jesus, 
He will embrace me in His arms; 
in the arms of my dear Savior 
Oh, there are ten thousand charms.” ~Joseph Hart (1759)

Lord, establish me as a fruitful, fragrant tree for Your delight.

“Vindicate me, O Lord,
    for I have walked in my integrity,
    and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
    test my heart and my mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
    and I walk in your faithfulness.”

“I will not set before my eyes
    anything that is worthless.
I hate the work of those who fall away;
    it shall not cling to me.
A perverse heart shall be far from me;
    I will know nothing of evil.” Psalm 26:1-3; 101:3-4

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” Matthew 6:22

“Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,.. and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him.., so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” Hebrews 12:1-3

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2

Eyes are the window to the soul, the door to the mind, the spark to emotion, the prompt to impulse. To keep good and not evil, meaningful and not worthless, lofty and not profane, love and not arrogance, takes a consistent, definitive act of the will. Be careful little eyes what you see!

With the gift of sight comes much responsibility, because what we look on ultimately determines our loves and investments. The enemy presents a daily array intended to arrest us and captivate affections, to draw us in and suck us dry. With everything available and alluring, we must train the eye to focus, sometimes immediately near, sometimes beyond the fray to the eternal and beyond, always on Jesus. The Lord gives discernment when we deliberately commit what to turn from and what to be intent on for His sake.

Are we regularly setting God’s steadfast love before us? How are we seeking His face? Do we relish His benevolence and care, and look for Him in our routines? With thankfulness comes expectation, training our eyes to see His hand of grace, favor, and beauty. (Psalms 27:8)

Have we determined what not to look on for our protection and witness, and His honor? What steps will we take to block off what turns us astray and denigrates our morals or His name? In what area has His Spirit alerted our conscience to fit blinders to bitterness, constant complaint, or lewd visuals, and to actively refocus?

As Jesus looked to His Father and the joy before Him, will we look to Jesus for perseverance in testing, zeal in living, and vitality in worship?

“Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see,
Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see.
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see.” ~ Harry Dixon Loes (1892-1965)

Lord, fix my eyes on You, keeping Your holiness, worth, and glory before me all my days.

“And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!^‘ And Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.^‘ And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ And the blind man said to him, ‘Rabbi, let me recover my sight.^‘ And Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way….

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 10:46-52; 11:24

Bartimaeus lacked in many ways: sight, support, means. But he could hear, and he knew about Jesus, that he was no ordinary man. When heavy feet approached on the road where he begged and he realized Jesus was in the crowd, he called out His name and appealed to His mercy. Rebuked and shushed by the gathering people, his urgency grew and he repeated his cry. Noticed and beckoned forward, he sprang toward his only hope. I want to see. Jesus responded to his claim in faith with instant healing of his sight, and from that moment on, Bartimaeus had eyes only for Him.

We are helpless beggars all, sin-stained, inept, on the fringes save for the mercy of God. Often we settle in that spiritual malaise, without hope and purpose, resigned to weak-sensed, powerless living. We name our woes and blame others for difficult circumstances, but fail to step up to name Jesus as the Redeemer He is and claim the mercy and help He exists to impart. His plans for us and ability to perform them are the opposite of helpless and hopeless. (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

Where have we grown crotchety with complaint, or content with apathy or blind malaise? Do we know enough about how Jesus works among men to recognize His deeds, His approach, His voice, His possibilities for our infirmities? What can we begin to practice by study and meditation on His word, and by bold prayer with active faith, to understand and experience God’s potential in our weaknesses? What complacency, stubbornness, or rebellion need we throw off once for all to rise and approach Jesus and appropriate His power? (Mark 10:26-27)

What new spiritual sensitivities have our challenges sharpened? Where have we, or will we, turn from despair and languishing to confidently claim His power to transform? Where is His Spirit stirring us to proclaim His name and the more that He envisions we own and exercise for His kingdom’s sake?

Lord, entwine my thinking, worship, and desire with Your mighty name and all its power and glory.

“The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. They abandoned the God of their fathers who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them… So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers… He sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned… And they were in terrible distress.

“Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the Lord… Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt.., going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said,.. ‘I will no longer drive out any of the nations… in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord…'” Judges 2:11-12,14-22

“You have rejected me, declares the Lord;
    you keep going backward,
so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you—
    I am weary of relenting.” Jeremiah 15:6

Repeatedly the people of Israel did evil, and over and over the Lord intervened with judges who would set things right. But God did not force Himself on His people, insisting they learn to worship rightly even as they refused to honor Him as Lord. An undivided heart must be exercised. (Psalm 86:11)

Present culture teaches not the fear of the Lord. The enemy has blinded us to His worthiness and twisted man’s perception of accountability. Living only for self and today, we’re deceived by the foolishness of idol-worship and cry for help only when we suffer from self-inflicted misery.

God’s mercy and love for His own are as boundless as His wisdom and might. All our infinite God’s attributes are infinite. But according to His holiness, He will not put up with repeated rebellion and unchecked sin. He relents from harsh judgment in compassion and pity, yet does not relent forever. He extends grace in lavish measure, yet it is not a license for continued sin. He goes after and stirs His people, created to reflect His image, to test and sanctify, not to leave in complacency. (Romans 6:1-2)

In what repeated sins do we weary our loving Lord? Do we lollygag in doubt, self-deprecation, or worry? What commands trigger rebellion? What entertainment promotes lust, greed, or coveting? Are we adamant about being in charge, but distressed when He brings harsh consequences for our poor decisions? He owns every right.

Gracious Lord, may Your word remain my joy and delight, Your pleasure be my chief desire, Your glory my end.

“My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ while you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there,’ or, ‘Sit down at my feet,’  have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court?  Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” James 2:1-9

There is great condemnation for those who see others through tainted lenses of favoritism or wrong assumptions. Jumping to conclusions with limited knowledge or prejudice borne of smugness, or based on appearance and not substance, is forbidden among brothers. Fulfilling God’s law means loving others as you love yourself, assuming only that they are of inestimable worth in God’s image.

Thinking ill of others and showing partiality poke weedy roots into attitude and expression. The less we guard our thought life and the more we practice unloving behavior, the more critical and mean-spirited we can become. We must beware the dangerous and repellent countenance.

Sometimes we assume the worst in others because of an unconscious knowledge of our own depravity. We might think so little of ourselves that we try to ameliorate self image or value by putting others down in comparison. We might repress ingrown or long-held shame and allow vitriol to take its place. We might harbor bitterness or jealousy that manifest themselves in uncharitable impulses. Opening the door of our minds and hearts to the light is the only way to see and accept God’s view of us, and then to see others rightly. (1 Samuel 16:7; John 8:32; 1 John 1:5-9)

Where are we making sloppy assumptions about others, assigning motives known only by God to their actions? Where do we impose the worst instead of the redemptive best on another’s intentions or behavior? Where are we blaming God for consequences rightly suffered? We will be found out. What will we do to align our thinking with God’s, and develop sincere gratitude and contentment? (Matthew 7:1-2; Hebrews 5:14; James 1:5)

Lord, give me eyes that I may see
With love and grace and honesty.
Infuse my heart with purity
That I think best of all I meet. (PEB)

“Oh, fill me with your fullness, Lord,
Until my very hearts o’erflows
In kindling thought and glowing word,
Your love to tell, your praise to show.” ~Frances Ridley Havergal (1872)

Lord, help me think as You do and judge with holy discernment and whole desire to bless others and bring You glory.