By
Pastor Adeboye
Memorize: “For he shall have judgment without mercy against judgment” (Jas 2:13)
Read: 2 Samuel 12:1-4
“Judge not, that ye be not judge” (Matthew 7:1). One thing we do periodically is judging ourselves and others. Wile we are mild on ourselves and makes excuse for action, we are hard on others and make room for them.
The fact is that because of the depravity of the human nature weakness. A man once saw some mistake in a book of almost 400 pages. He immediately sent a mail castigating the editor and revealing his utter dismay and zero tolerance for typographical errors.
Unknown to him, five lines he wrote had several errors. When the editors received the mail, they smile. A minister once boasted that he does not buy or read books written by his General Overseer because of typographical errors in an extreme measure.
God is the judge of the whole earth and therefore for the ultimate judge. He is very interested in your yardstick for judging other because that is what he will also use for you. If you never gave others a second chance, you may not get another chance yourself.
Indirectly, the way you judge others sets the tone of your case. How are you preparing your judgment seat today? For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment” (James 2:13).
One important virtue you must have as a believer is be merciful. If you show mercy to the one you are about to judge, you will reap its harvest when it’s your turn to be judged. If you show mercy, do not think people are wicked when they fail to show you mercy in time of need.
You will be given what you should sow. In today’s reading, when prophet Nathan relayed the hypothetical case to David, the anger of the latter was stirred. He was quick at passing his verdict on the offender.
If only he had known that whatever he said in judgment would be used against him, he would have been slower to respond and more merciful. Next time you have the opportunity to be a judge, remember mercy.
