Condemn Not 11/22-24

22-24 Nov. 2016 - Condemn Not – Manna & Share Devotion by Dorothy Callies

John 3:17 KJV: “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” NIV: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

What does the word, condemn really mean? From the Holman Bible Dictionary, it says “act of pronouncing someone guilty after weighting the evidence.” In another dictionary it says, “to declare to be wrong.”  I would like to share the devotion from “Our Daily Bread” written by Randy Kilgore, Ambassador of Love. [*I add the meaning of words.]

“In my work as a chaplain, some people occasionally ask if I am willing to give them some additional spiritual help.  While I’m happy to spend time with anyone who asks for help, I often find myself doing more learning than teaching.

“This was especially true when one painfully honest new Christian said to me with resignation, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to read the Bible.  The more I read what God expects from me, the more I judge (*make an opinion after careful consideration of) others who aren’t doing what it (the Bible) says.”

“As he said this, I realized I was at least partly responsible for instilling (*cause to feel) this judgmental spirit in him.  At that time, one of the first things I did was those new to faith in Jesus was to introduce them to things they should no longer be doing. In other words, instead of showing them God’s love and letting the Holy Spirit reshape (*to give a new form to) them, I urged them to “behave like a believer.”

“Now I was gaining a new appreciation for John 3:16-17.  Jesus’ invitation to believe in Him in verse 16 is followed by these words. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn (* judge guilty to) the world, but to save the world through Him.”

“Jesus didn’t come to condemn (*pronounce guilty on) us.  But by giving these new Christians a checklist of behaviors, I was teaching them to condemn themselves, which then led them to judge others. Instead of being agents of condemnation, we are to be ambassadors of God’s love and mercy.”   [End of Randy Kilgore’s devotion]

Dorothy: What does this mean to me? I was very impressed with devotion that Jesus did not come to earth to “condemn” us.  Jesus reminds us of Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Because if you do judge, you’ll get it right back to you. Let us pray. “Oh, Holy Spirit fill our hearts to love others so that there would be no room to judge others. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!”

Song: Like a Mighty Sea

Like a mighty sea, like a mighty sea,

Comes the love of Jesus, sweeping over me;

The waves of glory roll, the Savior to extol (to praise highly),

Comes the love of Jesus, sweeping over my soul.

[Lyrics and music by A. I. Zelley and H. L. Gilmour, Melodies of Praise]

May the Lord fill your hearts with the love of Jesus today!

Dorothy