Quote from Forum Archives on September 30, 2002, 7:53 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

As we begin a work week, how about a fresh reflection on the
Word of God? Today, I'd like to share with you Neil Anderson's
comments about exercising discipline versus passing judgement.
The Bible is very clear that we are not supposed to judge
others, except by any criteria in which we, ourselves, are
willing to be judged (see Matthew 7:1-2): "1 'Do not judge, or
you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others,
you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be
measured to you...'" However, it is our responsibility to
confront those in Christ who are violating a clear principle of
scripture. Neil explains, and does a good job of bringing out
the distinction.

My continued prayer for each one of us is that we will exercise
our faith today, and make living by faith a regular, purposeful
way we live, until it is still purposeful, but instead of a
reluctant, forced into, last alternative, it becomes our every
day way of life. May the Name of God be forever praised as we
live by faith in Him, because of what Jesus Christ has done for
us!

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

____________________________________________________________

SPONSOR | Visit the Worship Center for great music, new offers &
more! sda.goshen.net/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi?AD=intmusdevo2
____________________________

The all-new Crosswalk.com is here with faster load, fresh look,
great reads, and more! We are dedicated to bringing glory to
God, building up, equipping and encouraging the Church, the Body
of Christ. Click on this link (www.crosswalk.com) to
visit the new Crosswalk.com!

N E I L A N D E R S O N D A I L Y D E V O T I O N A L
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

September 30, 2002

DISCIPLINE VS. JUDGMENT

Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are
spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness
(Galatians 6:1).

Are there any occasions when Christians should confront each
other on matters of behavior? Yes. We are required by God to
confront and restore those who have clearly violated the
boundaries of Scripture (Matthew 18:15, 16). But let me alert
you to an important distinction in this area: Discipline is an
issue of confronting observed behavior--that which you have
personally witnessed (Galatians 6:1); judgment is an issue of
character. We are instructed to confront others concerning sins
we have observed, but we are not allowed to judge their
character (Matthew 7:1; Romans 14:13). Disciplining is our
responsibility; judging character is God's responsibility.

For example, imagine that you just caught your child telling a
lie. "You're a liar," you say to him. That's judgment, an attack
on his character. But if you say, "Son, you just told a lie,"
that's discipline. You're holding him accountable based on an
observed behavior.

Or let's say that a Christian friend admits to you that he
cheated on his income tax return. If you confront him as a thief,
you are judging his character and that's not your responsibility.
You can only confront him on the basis of what you see: "By
cheating on your taxes, you are stealing from the government and
that's wrong."

Much of what we call discipline is nothing less than character
assassination. We say to our disobedient child: "You're a bad
boy." We say to a failing Christian brother or sister: "You're
not a good Christian." Such statements don't correct or edify;
they tear down character and convey disapproval for the person as
well as his problem. Your child is not a liar; he's a child of
God who has told a lie. Your Christian friend is not a thief;
he's a child of God who has taken something which doesn't belong
to him. We must hold people accountable for their behavior, but
we are never allowed to denigrate their character.

Forgive me, Father, for judging others. Enable me to discipline
in love those I care about and for whom I am responsible.

-----------
This daily devotional is published and distributed by
Crosswalk.com. It is written by Neil Anderson at
< www.ficm.org >.

Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com:
< www.crosswalk.com/faith/devotionals/>.
-----------
To read the Current Feature Story from ReligionToday,
go to www.crosswalk.com/news/recentrt.html

For today's complete News Summary from ReligionToday,
go to www.crosswalk.com/news/recentrt.html

-----------
For Copyright Terms go to www.crosswalk.com/info/copyright

____________________SUBSCRIPTION INFO_______________________

* Copyright (c) 2002 Crosswalk.com, Inc. and its Content
Providers. All rights reserved.

____________________________________________________________

=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!
sbc.yahoo.com