Godly Judgment and Ungodly Judgment 2-5-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Form Your nature in my nature; fill my spirit with Your Spirit. As I give myself to You, You give Yourself to me. … "Do not judge, and you will not be judge; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back" (Luke 6:37-38). There is godly judgment and ungodly judgment. Godly judgment is judging rightly, rightly discerning the truth for what it is. Godly judgment does not turn a blind eye to the truth, but sees clearly, as You see. Ungodly judgment is when we harden our hearts in judgment, as if to say, "That's how you are and that's how you'll always be; you'll never change." It's coming into agreement with the accuser instead of coming into agreement with the Redeemer. Godly judgment turns our hearts from discernment to intercession and intervention. Ungodly judgment turns our hearts from discernment to criticism and condemnation. Lord, give me eyes to see others as You see them -- not only recognizing the truth of who they are and what they've done, but also recognizing the truth of who they are created to be and seeing the potential of all they are created to do. Thank You for seeing me that way. Thank You for never hardening Your heart toward me, never turning Your back on me, never giving up on me. And as You have freely given to me, so You call me to freely give to others. My grace towards them with affect Your grace toward me -- the measure I give will be the measure I get, and more also. And as You and I both know, Lord, I need all the grace I can get. Lord, let me not be deceived, confused, or fooled; bring all things out of the darkness of deception and into the light of truth. But as You show me the truth, let me intervene and intercede as You lead, with Your heart of mercy and your hope for redemption. I renounce the all-too-common path of criticism and condemnation, and I seek to choose Your path of restoration and transformation. "My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:1-2). Lord, let me not be tempted to ungodly judgment, but empowered by Your grace to choose godly judgment and redemptive restoration. And by the grace of God, may others choose the same for me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I have a number of invitations for our School of Spiritual Ministry for pastors and leaders overseas and would welcome your frequent flyer miles contributions. If you would be interested in joining with us in this way in ministry to nations not as financially blessed as ours, please send me a note: MessiahMin@aol.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's city-wide gathering in the unity of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org