F O O T H O L D
READING
36 JUDGEMENT AND GENEROSITY
PRAY Thank you Father for
the Scriptures for their inspiration by you
and their usefulness to me.
READ Matthew 7:112.
THINK What does this passage
teach about prayer?
FOCUS JUDGING (16). You
won't live long if you don't exercise your
judgement. (How fast is that
car moving? Can I cross the road in
time?) You need to decide
about actions. (But that's really
stealing that can't be
right!)
In these verses Jesus is
warning us not against exercising
judgement, but against a
judgemental attitude that delights in
finding fault in others (1,2).
God is the only one who can pass a
final verdict on a person's
life or character. When we do so we
are attempting to take God's
place, and storing up judgement
against ourselves (2).
Rather we should judge ourselves (35).
Jesus pokes fun at the
person who criticises without being aware
of his own faults.
We must also judge
situations (6). There are times, says Jesus,
when we should even keep
quiet about the gospel. People may
increase their sin by
jeering at truths about his birth, death,
resurrection and return.
GIVING (712). Parents gave
their children whatever was needed.
(Not a flat stone instead of
bread, or a snake instead of an eel
like dried fish.)
Our heavenly Father is
better, not worse, than human parents. When
we ask him for what we need
we can be sure that he is ready to
respond. When we 'ask, seek,
knock', we are not trying to rouse
someone who is grudging and
hostile, but speaking to a Father
'whose love is as great as
his power'.
How do you think God defines
'good things' (11)
PRAY Thank you, Lord, for
all you give me. Help me to give as well as
take.
