God Speaks
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
6 “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.
7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Matthew 7.
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. The LORD God is the only just judge. Only He truly knows people’s hearts and minds.
2. People are not to judge others’ motives and intentions. They can only judge the consequences of the others’ actions. The one who would desire to judge must have their own faults dealt with before trying to help someone else.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Matthew 7?
Dear LORD God, thank You that You are the only true judge. Only You know all about the person and situation to be judged. Truly, Father (God) knows best. Only You know all of the facts and how to accurately interpret them. Therefore, I determine to bring every person and situation to You whenever I am tempted to judge or even just make a decision whether something is true or false or a person is good or bad, right or wrong, telling the truth or lying. Please help me to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking until You show me the truth, and then please help me to take correct action. Please help me proactively treat other people the way I want them to treat me. That way I will be fulfilling what the Bible teaches. You have said that the way I’ll know if something or someone is good or bad is to look at what they produce. What are the results of their words or actions? Only what is done according to Your will, our Father in Heaven, will have any eternal value. To have a happy, stable, and everlasting life, I need to not just hear these words, but to truly put them into practice. I must live by and under the authority of the LORD God as displayed by Christ Jesus. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Matthew 7?
- I will ask the LORD to show me where I have judged someone or something on my own, without seeking His perspective first, then ask Him how to correct the problem.
- I will pray that God’s truth will be revealed and correctly acted upon by the proper people regarding three news items today.
- I will take 15 minutes in quiet contemplation today to examine what my thoughts, words, and actions are producing now and for eternity.
- I will (in the week ahead) seek to put into practice at least one of the principles Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.