...But God

Matthew 7: 1-3

Creators & Guests

Host
Chad McBeam
Business Leader, Foster Advocate and Fighter of Human Trafficking, Chad enjoys hosting this podcast channel as a way to spread and highlight the great examples of those who live out their faith daily. He can also be seen on occasion on your TV or Film Screen or be heard narrating one of your books as his love of acting has stuck with him since his childhood.
Writer
Aaron Marcarelli
After getting his under-graduate degree from Cal State University San Bernardino where he played college baseball and received all American honors. he was a graduate assistant baseball coach at both Trevecca Nazarene College in Nashville, Tennessee, and at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington.  He received his master’s degree in Teaching from Whitworth, with plans to someday be a head baseball coach at a university.  However, God had other plans.  Aaron started teaching English and History and coaching baseball and other sports at the high school level and found out how much he loves high school kids, and he has been doing that for the past 27 years.     Personally, heI has been married to his wife Sharon for 32 years, they have one daughter, Amanda Parrish, who has been married to Austin Parrish for 2 years. Aaron also has two grandsons Travis age 2 ½ and Aden who is 13 months and are blessed to have another on the way due in May. Aaron loves reading, golfing, and spending time with his wife and grandkids.
Designer
Linda Cowen
Linda Cowen of San Antonio Christian School is our gracious and talented art designer for the But God, weekday morning devotional series.

What is ...But God?

A weekday morning devotional series written by Aaron Marcarelli and hosted by Chad McBeam

“Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”
Matthew 7:1-3 NASB2020
The sermon on the mount is so good. Jesus addresses so many of the issues we struggle with in our sin nature. We have been reading and progressing through these 3 Chapters for quite a while. This is actually the 30th devotional we have had on the Sermon on the Mount. Each lesson in Jesus’ sermon could easily be a 4 week Sunday sermon series and we just started the third chapter. Suffice to say Jesus covers everything we need to know about being followers of Christ in his sharing what we have come to know as The Sermon on the Mount.
Back to the words Jesus says.
Do not judge! Boy do we like to do this. When we do this covertly it’s called gossip! We do this with people who are not followers of Christ and it’s why they say they feel judged and unloved. Does this mean we are to allow constant sinful behavior that is detrimental to the work God is doing at our church and in businesses that claim to follow Christ. Of course not! It all comes down the heart. The heart of the one who is sinning and the one who is pointing out the sin. Did not Jesus just say in the previous chapter “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Matthew 6:14-15 NIV
Jesus also addressed the proper way to handle those who are living in sin within the church later on in the book of Matthew. “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, take to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”
Matthew 18:15-17 NIV
Jesus is pretty clear. There is a difference of heart in the word Judge. Wycliffe addresses this issue. He says “the term judge not, is the present imperative, which suggest that it is the habit of judging others that is condemned. The word judge itself is as neutral as the verdict. The sense here indicates an unfavorable judgment. Critics of others must stop short, before final condemnation.” Therefore, we cannot judge motives, only God can. As Jesus mentioned previously, believers are not to avoid all judging of those who follow Christ. We need to judge ourselves and also those who are living in sin that say they are following Christ.
Yes, this is a fine line that we walk. Made all the more difficult by our language having only one word that has multiple meanings as with the English word judge. That is why we must have a discerning spirit and the heart of Christ. The only way we do that, is to be in constant communication with our Lord and Savior. Through prayer, through the reading of His word, through fellowship with others and through singing praises to Him.
Lord, we praise your almighty and powerful name. We thank you for the Holy Word that comes from you. Help us to have a spirit of discernment. Help us not to gossip and compare ourselves to others. And if we must confront a brother or sister help us to confess our sins first and then with a humble heart we can speak with the offending party. Lord we praise you for desire to heal and for all your blessings. We ask all these things in Jesus Name Amen.
May God’s Shalom, Shalom which is His perfect peace, be upon y’all. Press In and Press On