“Judge not, that ye be not judged”–Matt. 7:1
This is one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible. Many have used it to ward-off any criticism of their sins and to avoid standing against the sins of others. If they would simply study the rest of the chapter, and the Bible, they would see that it is not only right to make certain judgements regarding others, but also a responsibility to do so. But others error in the opposite direction. They violate the command altogether. They are guilty of judging others presumptuously, hypocritically, hastily, or unmercifully–the very thing forbidden by the command. So in out effort to defend truth and denounce sin, we must be careful that we ourselves do not become law-breakers.

Great men examine themselves regularly so as to conform to God’s ways. Those of lesser character judge others rather than themselves. While it is sometimes our right to make judgements regarding others, far too many people do it without any justification. If you are among that number you have reason to fear– your sin shall be judged. Unless I miss my guess, we are guilty of this more than we know. We might not make an issue of it, but we draw conclusions about people when we have no right to do so; and, although it might not affect anyone else, it will affect you. It will cause you to think less highly of them than you should and sometimes will even lead to bitterness.

One of the problems with this is that we don’t have all the facts. Some people appear to be less dedicated than others, even backslidden, when they’re not. From your vantage point it seems they are unfaithful or not as committed as you, but you don’t see the big picture, nor know the whole story. If you knew all the facts you might look at them with admiration, rather than disrespect. Just because a person doesn’t tell you about their problems it doesn’t mean they don’t have any. Some folks are every tight-lipped about their personal life. I know people who have cancer and other diseases that limit what they can do, and they refuse to make it public knowledge. Others are struggling with domestic issues that you will probably never know about—and don’t need to know about. These folks are as “faithful” as possible under the circumstances–although it doesn’t appear that way to you. The fact is you don’t need all the facts in every case– you aren’t the judge. Neither am I, and believe me–that takes a load off. I don’t need to know every situation, address every issue, correct every problem, and change every person. I have more than enough faults of my own without looking for them in others. Stop making unnecessary judgments about others and you will be surprised how much more you will enjoy life–as will others. Your problem just might be that you you don’t have a serious enough problem of your own to be sympathetic toward others. You haven’t experienced enough pain to know how to be understanding and helpful— and you won’t get better until you get worse. Like the old Indian said, “Never criticize a man until you‘ve walked a mile in his moccasins”. Think about it!

Dr. Ben Carson recently commented that there might not even be an election in 2016. Does that sound far-fetched to you? While many will laugh it off, as though it could never happen, I’m not so sure. Stranger things have happened. When you consider–
— the government hoarding ammo
— the effort to ban certain ammo for the AR-15, America’s most popular rifle
— Obama’s defense of Muslims, hatred of Israel, and disrespect for the constitution
— the numerous Muslim terrorist training camps in America– have you seen the reports?
— the coming economic crisis
— Obama’s love of “executive orders”
— the possibility of martial law
— the gutless Republican leaders who refuse to stand
— Obama seizing control of the internet
Carson might be on to something. As he said, “there is no telling what could happen in just a matter of a couple of years”. That’s for sure! And maybe the best indicator that this could happen is believing it can’t! It is a well known fact that Obama loves a crisis and creating one might be a lot easier than you think–and more harmful than you imagine.

As I said in another article, “if the crisis were large enough Obama would drain his pen of ink signing executive orders so as to impose his will on the people.” By the way, I’m still not convinced that there won’t be some sort of crisis before 2016 that will cause him to declare a state of emergency, and take control. Some have already suggested that we should do away with term limits, so you can bet that if it can be done it will be done. Crazier things have happened and we are ripe for the picking. I can’t prove I’m right and I hope I’m wrong, but assuming it can’t happen puts us in grave danger.

Can you imagine buying a car or house sight unseen? Yet the Obama administration is intent on creating laws without the bills ever being read. That’s worse than “buying a pig in a poke”–at least you can hear the pig grunt and get an idea as to what you’re getting! With Obama you never know. Even crazier is the fact that our elected officials let them get by with it, after promising they wouldn’t, and we keep putting them back into office!

I used to say, ” The inmates are running the asylum”, but I now have too much respect for the mentally ill to attribute that kind of foolishness to them–they are smarter than that! Maybe a better way to describe what’s going on is, as someone said, ” This is not a Presidential Administration—it’s a crime spree!” And, sadly no one is holding anyone accountable. So we won’t know what we’ve got until we get it–then it will be too late to do anything but complain. We better think about it!

Relationships are costly– you can’t have one without caring, and you can’t care without, eventually, a tear. When our loved ones hurt we hurt. Hardly a day goes by without me seeing or hearing something that makes me want to cry. God has changed me over the years. I’ve gone from a “tough guy, I can take it”, “suck it up and move on”, “hard nose”, “we all have problems–get over it”, kind of person to , well–whatever I am.

Seeing my wife in constant pain for nearly three decades and knowing what I’ve put her through for 55 years, has given me a different perspective on life. Watching some of my children make ship-wreck of their lives brings tears to my eyes. Seeing the many members of the church I love suffer and struggle day after day is heart-breaking. And then there are the other stories–I could write a book, and they just keep coming.

Just yesterday I learned of a man in a situation that grieved my heart. I won’t mention his name or any details that would reveal his identity, but I can’t stop thinking about his heart-breaking story. Every time I hear his name my mind goes back in time and I think about him as a young teen preacher who used to show up just about every time I preached a revival meeting anywhere near where he lived. It was as if he was following me wherever I went. I could see his great potential, watched him mature, and was thrilled when he headed off to the mission field. Then, after faithfully serving the Lord for several years, his life went spiraling out of control. He lost everything and has never recovered, and is now suffering the consequences of his sin. When I learned where he was the day before I got the message, a day of great significance in his life, I wanted to bawl. I just keep wondering “Why?”. How can it be that a man could give up so much for nothing.

I realize that most of you don’t know this man, but I’m asking, begging, you to please pray for him. Pray that some way, some how, God will bring him to his senses, drive him to his knees, deliver him from his sin, and meet his spiritual needs. Also pray for others that I can see are headed in the same direction. His story ought to serve as a stern warning to all who venture out of the path of righteousness, but they aren’t getting the message.

My wife and I have a lot of conversations that I wish could be broadcast to everyone. One of the most recent had to do with a statement I made in a sermon recently. I said, “Some of you are setting your children up for failure”. I haven’t changed my mind and I can’t get this off my mind. What we see happening in America is a national tragedy.

People often wonder how the world got in such a mess, but it is no wonder—the answer should be obvious. Considering the way the average child is raised today it is a miracle that it’s not worse. Most of them don’t stand a chance. During the most formative years of their life they grow up in homes without natural affection, discipline, or godly instruction. Then they are sent off to a public school where they are exposed to everything under the sun. How do you expect them to turn out? Why do we wonder why they lack a work ethic, sense of responsibility, respect for others, and moral standards?

The seriousness of this problem is something I can’t stop thinking about and it literally moves my wife to tears. How can we not think about it? I realize that we can’t control every area of their lives, but we most assuredly can control what they get in the home. And, that goes a long way in helping them overcome the other forces at work in their lives. If they don’t get what they need in the home, all the government programs and church ministries in the world won’t help.

If you are a parent, or a grandparent raising children, you need to understand that you are the most important person in the world to those children. Their best chance of becoming a decent person and productive citizen is you! If you fail the chances are nearly 100% that they will fail. It should be your desire to be the best parent possible, and that means giving them what they need. That doesn’t mean give them everything they want! We have too much of that already. That’s a big part of the problem today–children are running the households.

Speaking of what children need, I’ll never forget hearing Bill Rice preach a sermon entitled “Love Em, Lick Em, Learn Em”. Well, you can outline it anyway you please, but there are some basic things that all children need and Rice’s sermon dealt with the big three. Children need love, discipline, and direction. The problem is that you can give people all the information they need to become great parents, but it won’t do any good unless they commit themselves to it. That’s the biggest roadblock. We keep asking , “What in the world is wrong with these kids today?”, when we should be asking “What in the world is wrong with parents today?”What we’re seeing is pitiful, criminal, and sinful.

Certainly none of us are perfect parents, but we all could and should do better than we do. Our children didn’t ask to be born. We brought them into the world and we ought to prepare them for it and help them through it. Too many parents just sit back watching their children grow without making any serious effort to “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4)—that is a sin. It you are a parent you owe your children and some of you are way behind on your payments. Think about it!