Embracing Grace: The Call to Humility and Understanding

Devotional

Day 1: Self-Reflection as a Path to Humility

Before passing judgment on others, it is crucial to engage in self-reflection. This practice encourages individuals to examine their own hearts and actions, fostering a sense of humility and empathy. Jesus emphasizes that only God is the ultimate judge, and by addressing our own shortcomings first, we can approach others with a more compassionate and understanding heart. This self-reflection helps us avoid the trap of judging others based on outward appearances or actions without understanding their full story. By doing so, we align ourselves with the teachings of Jesus, who calls us to love and build up rather than condemn and tear down. [02:17]

"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Corinthians 13:5, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent situation where you judged someone quickly. How might self-reflection have changed your perspective and response?

Day 2: Extending Grace as We Have Received

It's easy to judge others when we forget the grace we've received. Jesus' interaction with the woman at Simon's house serves as a powerful reminder to extend grace and understanding rather than judgment. In this story, Simon judged the woman who anointed Jesus' feet, but Jesus highlighted her act of love and devotion. This teaches us to approach others with the same grace God has shown us, recognizing that everyone has a story and struggles that we may not fully understand. By remembering the grace we've been given, we can offer the same to others, fostering a community of love and acceptance. [10:33]

"For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." (James 2:13, ESV)

Reflection: Recall a time when you received grace instead of judgment. How can you extend that same grace to someone in your life today?

Day 3: Empathy and Presence Over Judgment

The story of Job highlights the importance of empathy and presence over judgment. Job's friends judged him without understanding his situation, offering criticism instead of support. This serves as a reminder that we are called to be present with those who are hurting, offering love and empathy rather than judgment. By being present and listening, we can provide the support and understanding that others need, reflecting the love and compassion of Jesus. This approach not only helps those who are suffering but also strengthens our relationships and communities. [12:43]

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight." (Romans 12:15-16, ESV)

Reflection: Think of someone in your life who is going through a difficult time. How can you offer them empathy and presence instead of judgment this week?

Day 4: Seeking the Holy Spirit's Guidance

We need the Holy Spirit's guidance to discern our reactions and interactions with others. By pausing and praying, we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in love and understanding, helping us to respond with grace rather than judgment. This practice encourages us to seek divine wisdom in our daily interactions, ensuring that our actions reflect the love and compassion of Jesus. By relying on the Holy Spirit, we can navigate complex situations with grace and discernment, fostering peace and reconciliation in our relationships. [14:20]

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." (James 1:5, ESV)

Reflection: Before your next interaction with someone you find challenging, take a moment to pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance. How might this change your approach?

Day 5: Living the Upside-Down Kingdom

Jesus calls us to love and build up, not to condemn and tear down. By living with grace and love, we reflect the kingdom of God, where grace and love lead. This upside-down kingdom challenges societal norms, emphasizing humility, service, and reconciliation. Our challenge is to approach others with humility, seeking reconciliation and peace, and allowing God's love to lead our actions. By embodying these values, we can create a community that reflects the love and grace of Jesus, transforming our relationships and the world around us. [18:24]

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: Consider one relationship in your life that needs reconciliation. What steps can you take today to approach this person with humility and love?

Sermon Summary

In Matthew 7:1-6, Jesus teaches us about the importance of self-reflection before passing judgment on others. This passage challenges us to examine our own hearts and actions before we criticize others. It's a call to humility and discernment, reminding us that only God is the ultimate judge. We often fall into the trap of judging others based on outward appearances or actions without understanding their full story. Jesus warns against this hypocritical behavior, urging us to first address our own shortcomings.

The Pharisees, with their strict adherence to the law, often judged others while ignoring their own faults. Jesus, however, came not as a mighty king but as a humble servant, turning societal norms upside down with love, joy, and peace. He calls us to discern rather than judge, to approach others with grace and understanding. This teaching is a reminder of the grace we've received and the grace we should extend to others.

Reflecting on the story of Jesus at Simon's house, we see how easy it is to judge others when we forget the grace we've been given. Simon judged the woman who anointed Jesus' feet, but Jesus highlighted her act of love and devotion. Similarly, in the story of Job, his friends judged him without understanding his situation. These examples teach us the importance of empathy and presence over judgment.

We are encouraged to pause, pray, and seek the Holy Spirit's guidance before reacting. Whether it's judging a spouse, a coworker, or a stranger, we must first look inward. Jesus calls us to love and build up, not to condemn and tear down. By living this way, we reflect the kingdom of God, where grace and love lead. Our challenge is to approach others with humility, seeking reconciliation and peace.

Key Takeaways

1. Reflection Before Judgment:** Before judging others, we must first examine our own hearts and actions. Jesus calls us to address our own shortcomings before criticizing others, reminding us that only God is the ultimate judge. This self-reflection fosters humility and empathy. [02:17]
2. Grace Over Judgment: It's easy to judge others when we forget the grace we've received. Jesus' interaction with the woman at Simon's house teaches us to extend grace and understanding rather than judgment. We are reminded to approach others with the same grace God has shown us.

3. Empathy and Presence: The story of Job highlights the importance of empathy and presence over judgment. Job's friends judged him without understanding his situation. We are called to be present with those who are hurting, offering support and love rather than judgment.

4. Guidance of the Holy Spirit: We need the Holy Spirit's guidance to discern our reactions and interactions with others. By pausing and praying, we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in love and understanding, helping us to respond with grace rather than judgment.

5. Living the Upside-Down Kingdom: Jesus calls us to love and build up, not to condemn and tear down. By living with grace and love, we reflect the kingdom of God. Our challenge is to approach others with humility, seeking reconciliation and peace, and allowing God's love to lead our actions.

** [02:17]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:31] - Quick to Judge
[02:17] - Self-Reflection and Judgment
[03:27] - Pharisaic Practices
[04:54] - Outward vs. Inward
[05:59] - Jesus' Approach
[08:11] - Discernment Over Judgment
[09:11] - Simon's House and Grace
[10:33] - Remembering Our Grace
[12:43] - Job's Story and Empathy
[13:24] - Self-Reflection Before Criticism
[14:20] - Holy Spirit's Guidance
[16:36] - Apologizing and Reconciliation
[18:24] - Living with Grace and Love
[19:30] - Closing Prayer and Invitation

Sermon Clips

"I hate to say it, but I am. I'm quick to judge by looking on the outside at some people at times. I've done it many times as I was growing up over my lifetime. I've, thankfully, God slowed me down, helped me to see my ways, but I still have the tendency to have the answers and start judging in the midst of everything that's going on. So just want to just kind of start thinking about how many of you are kind of quick to start judging another's intentions." [00:00:31]

"So despite what our outward reactions may be, our inward reactions usually get the best of us, and we are quick to respond to people. And so hopefully we're going to be able to see a way for us to kind of sit back, because some people are going through the same things. Some people have been through multiple aspects. So I'm going to open up here, Matthew chapter 7, verses 1 through 6. I'm going to read it in the NIV." [00:01:32]

"Because we all have brains. We're all we all know many things. We can run through life without God in every single thing that we do. We have that choice. And the choice for us needs to be put on front for us to slow down and to seek him. And so just a few things as I was reading down through here. I'll go through them a little bit in my notes as well. But when you read this, it says, do not judge, for you too will be judged. For the same way you judge others, you will be judged. You will be judged." [00:03:27]

"You see, he wasn't offering the kingdom that they expected. He wasn't coming forward as the mighty king and knocking people down. He was coming as a lowly servant that's loving people, meeting them where they're at, going to the least and lost, teaching them the ways, turning everything upside down, as we've said many times, not through power and might, but through love, through joy, and through peace." [00:05:59]

"Only God's the final judge in all of it. He's calling us to discern what's going on. It's not calling us to not address what's happening, which you'll see here in just a moment. He's calling us to discern these moments. So do not judge. We need to slow down. We need to discern what's happening within our own lives. We need to look at our own lives. Then we need to help and discern, help them discern, and help them discern what they're going through, each and every person. So he's not, he's calling out the condemnation in the midst of this." [00:07:03]

"It's easy to judge others when we forget how much grace that we've been given. Man, so many of us forget about our first encounter with Christ, and how we were on fire, and how we loved so deeply, and everything was just amazing. And then we let the world get in the way. We let life get in the way. We let our schedules get piled up. We don't open up the Bible in the morning, let alone pray." [00:10:33]

"The other thing is Job, the example of Job. When Job was sitting in his pity and going through everything, and he'd lost all of his family members, lost all of his wealth, he's sitting there in the ashes and cut up and boils, and he's scraping those boils because he's hurting. At the bottom of his life, at the lowest point he could ever be, and he has three friends come in that just basically accuse him, left and right, left and right. They don't see or know the true truth." [00:11:52]

"Jesus is clear, before you even think about judging someone else, you need to look in the mirror. You need to look at yourself before you're jumping on somebody. Because if you're starting to feel infuriated when somebody brings up something, there's something rooted in you. There's something rooted in you that's causing that. It's something that you have done in the past likely. It's something that you are working with. So you need to check your own heart." [00:13:24]

"We can't trust ourselves to get it right in our own way. We need to pause and pray and say, Holy Spirit, guide me on this. So let's make this real. Maybe you've been quick to judge your spouse or your kids. I'm the chief sinner. I'm the first one to say, I will do that. I will judge. Maybe you've judged a co-worker. I've done that too. Or the person sitting a few rows or seats away from you here at church." [00:14:09]

"Love and respect and peace or am I going at them with a fiery arrow the fiery tongue coming at them with they don't need to hear that let the Holy Spirit wreck them pray through it think through it you see Jesus isn't saying we can't call out sin or address the problems for these people but it's first to look at us say father speak through me help me guide me through this conversation and then offer suggestions that he is leading us through that's what he's calling us to do he's how asking us to come from a place of humility not of condemnation so think about how would you want someone to treat you if you're on the other side of the table how would you want someone to treat you what you want them to treat you with great that's what we need to show that's what we need to go forward with even if someone has wronged you even if someone has taken money from you we need to be and we need to be true to ourselves we need to be true to ourselves and we to go forward with kindness, with grace." [00:15:17]

"Take time to reflect before you speak. And then lay it out. Because Jesus calls us to love, not to condemn. To build up, not to tear down. When we live this way, we reflect the upside-down kingdom where grace reigns and love leads. So what's your next step? It's Holy Spirit, guide me." [00:18:35]

"Thank you for these challenging words. Thank you for, for opening my eyes and helping me to recall the times that I've been a complete hypocrite. Father, I hope that this has been a time for each and every person just to recall. and reflect on something and father may it not be a thing of shame but a thing of revelation of peace father you've already forgiven us you've already led us in every single aspect and father you already know you know what we've done you know what we're going to do and may we just live in in your joy and your peace may we operate in in moments like this just being led by your holy spirit so father bring healing bring reconciliation bring bring peace and joy into each and every one of us help us to grow deeper in love with you may we light shine your light in the midst of the darkness help us to lead our families well help us to love on our neighbors and our co-workers help us to seek you with our all" [00:19:35]

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