Adjectives

As an old oil patch hand, I love my coffee. Once or twice a week (depending on the state of my Financial Peace "blow" money,) I drive thru Starbucks.  Java, joe, mud, coffee - whatever you name it - has changed. My coffee has a whole bunch of adjectives added to it. Double shot, half-caf, mocha, soy spice latte. What a label!

 

We label people, usually with just one adjective. Ultimately, the adjectives reduce to "good" or "bad." Unless it is an extremely difficult day, we label ourselves "good." "Bad" is reserved for those who we do not know well, who hold differing views or who have betrayed us or our values. Liberal, conservative, fundamentalist, Islamic, murderer, drunk, goodie-goodie, virgin, lazy, uncommitted, _______________ (you may fill in your favorite here.)

 

Jesus tells us that no one is good but God. We all have work to do on ourselves. Further, he tells us that name-calling and judgment are unhealthy and wrong. Only God judges – even that he is holding off. Jesus encourages us to clean up our own act (the lumber mill in our own eye) before tackling the piece of sawdust (speck) in someone else's eye.

 

God, may I not judge another of your precious children today. May I take inventory of myself and have the boldness to correct those things which keep me from you. Amen.