Focus

Pay attention to the tension in your body. Let go of it and any expectations to do anything other than God’s will today. Prepare yourself to hear God’s word.

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Read

Romans 2:1-11 (NRSV)

Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. You say, “We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with truth.” Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. For he will repay according to each one’s deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.

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Reflect

For several years, I had the opportunity to coach women’s basketball. One of the things I always told the players was, “You worry about you.” What I meant was that it was each player’s job to worry about whether she was doing what I had asked her to do. So often I have seen players derailed from success because, while they could see what everyone else needed to do, they could not identify their own flaws and areas where improvement was needed!

Sometimes we misinterpret this passage as a free pass! We are relieved that our neighbor will not (or at least is not supposed to be) judging us, but we forget that God can and will judge. If we have not done so, it seems like a good idea to heed the words of Paul to take this time to recognize our own sinfulness, repent, and receive the grace that is offered by Jesus Christ!

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Pray

Holy God, let us keep our eyes on you. We ask that you teach us to deal first with the beams in our own eyes. We confess to our own sinful acts and repent of that which you have revealed to us is not pleasing to you. We thank you for the restoration offered through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Go with God.