Four “J” words: Judging – Jealousy – Jesus – JOY

Recently I found myself Judging someone for Judging someone else – now I knew the first person – and we are apt to start judging aren’t we – it was/is an easy slide of our senses into Judging. But the second person I didn’t know but was led to believe that this person was like so many other people we encounter in life and well, without knowing, I (we) lump in people with lots in life that we don’t know – but have plenty of experiencing seeing…  and perhaps we have even experienced or been one of “those” people – whatever they are or whatever they do…  Seems that we have lots of opinions on people – me too…  how human of us (ME)… LOVE thinks no evil but well, we do that don’t we? – and we have the conviction of being convicting…  and when I say we are human, it is because we are not that much different than others – it is just our lot in life to be flawed humans – thus needing Jesus even the more – and THANK GOD, Jesus forgives and we can be filled with JOY in that…

As for jealousy (another “J” word) – we do participate in that too – we are very human and this is not unheard of – even the amazing transformed Saul (also called Paul as his Roman name) who was truly transformed by Jesus’s intervention on the Road to Damascus, stopped lots of his ‘BIG” sins of persecuting jews who were new Christians, well Paul, devout as anything at that point, still admitted to jealousy – and that commandment was the toughest to not break. From God to Moses who carried the message to others: Exodus 20:17 NKJV “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”  And as for jealousy that we have on ourselves, yes when we are jealous of a life we “think” we should have – but don’t – well that is all in the category of judging ourselves and being jealous and worldly and not counting our blessings for what we DO have…

And what we DO HAVE is LOVE – LOVE comes to us as Jesus and His Spirit reinvigorates us…  [pray we don’t have a road to Damascus blinding but well, we do need Jesus coming to us – and in the best way, His conviction is there to convince us to LOVE] and God’s LOVE for us is true and never ending because GOD IS LOVE – and as Paul would write later in a letter to the Corinthians (13:1,4), “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal… Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy…”  

LOVE DOES NOT ENVY…  WOW…

It is very judging of me to judge myself – and we are tempted to say that we are stuck in “that if we do not have love, we are nothing” – but we AREN’T nothing – not with the AMAZING gift of God – that HE GIVES US HIS LOVE – we feel that love and we have that love SO THAT WE MAY HAVE LOVE TO SHARE…  Therefore we ARE SOMETHING – we are never nothing – we ARE the LOVE of GOD with JESUS in us and JOY

Jesus and JOY – those are love Words that triumph over jealousy and judging…May we work to not envy nor judge nor be trouble to others…  May we live in His Love and share that…

AMEN

—

We (I) learn alot about the LOVE of GOD in how He put forth the beginnings of the church and in the efforts of the disciples and these martyrs for Christ…  Here are but excerpts of Acts – really good ones – about Stephen and about Saul/Paul and of how the church grew from LOVE…  If you have not read the story of Stephen, here is the whole link: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%206-8%3A1&version=NIV;NKJV

Scripture excerpts of the calling of Saul/Paul into LOVE

Stephen Accused of Blasphemy (Acts 6:8-15 NKJV)
And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.” And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

…

Stephen the Martyr (Acts 7:54-59 NKJV) – (NOTE: the chapter of Acts 7 (at the link above) is great for learning of the old testament and linking up the connection to Jesus from the acts of the Israelites)
When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

Then they [Sanhedrin blaming Stephen for blasphemy] cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Saul Persecutes the Church (Acts 8:1-3 NKJV)
Now Saul was consenting to his [Stephen’s] death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

…

The Damascus Road: Saul Converted (Acts 9:1-30 NKJV)
Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Ananias Baptizes Saul
Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

Saul Preaches Christ
Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. Saul Escapes Death – Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.

Saul at Jerusalem
And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. 30 When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.

The Church Prospers
Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

——-

1 Corinthians 13 New King James Version
The Greatest Gift
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.