My Condition

“Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with whatever judgement you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? Or how will you tell your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
—Matthew 7:1-5

I have a condition. And it appears to be chronic. I have an impairment regarding how I view others and how I view myself. But God, through the Holy Spirit and God's Word, is making me aware of my condition and what I must do to treat it. Below are several Scripture passages God has led me to regularly meditate upon, as well as my notes on these Scriptures. I admit there are days when “God’s treatment” tastes alright, and there are days when “God’s treatment” tastes awful. But I must take it regularly just the same if it is to do me good.

Matthew 7:1-5:

God tells me not to judge others. Because in the same way I would judge them, they would judge me. My vision of others is impaired because I have my own issues, which are obvious to others, but which I am denying. Because of this, I am a hypocrite—my actions contradict my beliefs. I need to resolve my own issues so that I can see others clearly. Not so that I can judge them. But so that I can understand them and be a help to them.

Jeremiah 17:10; Psalm 139:23-24:

God can see my faults much better than I. He knows what I think, what I feel, and what I do. And He knows where those thoughts, feelings and actions can lead me. And because He knows me better than I know myself, I need to ask Him to show me each fault within me and then guide me to eliminate each fault from my life and replace it with something much better that He will also show me.

Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:13-14:

Every person in the world is made in the image of God.  All who have lived, are living, and will live. Whether I know them or not, whether I agree with them or not, and whether they realize it or not, they and I are children of God.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13:

My words and my actions are worthless without love. Specifically, God’s selfless, encouraging, faithful love. Evidence of my maturity in Christ is my capacity to love. And when I, and everything I do and say, are gone, the best thing that will remain is the love.

Matthew 22:34-40; Luke 10:25-37:

My Lord Jesus Christ says the greatest commandment is to love. First, to love God with all that I am, and all that I have. Second, to love my neighbor (everyone else in the world) as myself.

Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 5:43-48; Galatians 5:13-15; 1 John 4:7-8:

I must love others, both my friends and my enemies. Good and bad happens in this world, but I must not allow it to distract me from Christ's command to me to love. For by my love of others, I am recognized as a child of God and am reflecting to them the perfection of my Heavenly Father.

1 John 2:15-17:

I must not love the things in this world because God's love is not in them. Everything in this world is passing away.

Micah 6:6-8:

God desires sincerity over ceremony. He wants me to act justly with others, to be merciful and to walk humbly with Him.

Luke 17:1‭-‬4‬:‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

I must be careful not to cause fellow believers to stumble in their faith. And if a fellow believer sins, I must acknowledge it. But I must also forgive them and move forward.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Romans 12; Ephesians 4:

Just as Christ sacrificed Himself for me, God wants me to, daily, be a living sacrifice to Him. I must love without hypocrisy. And I must run away from evil, and toward good. I must bless those who persecute and curse me. And I must laugh and cry with those who laugh and cry. I must not be conceited or act “holier than thou.” I must be humble, and I must minister to those of humble means. I must repay any evil with only good. And I must respect what others honor. I must live in peace and harmony with others as much as possible, not seeking revenge, for God will handle that. If my enemy is hungry or thirsty, I must see to their needs. And I must overcome evil with good.

I must not be deceitful to others but speak truth to my neighbor. I may get angry, but I must not sin. And I must not keep my anger for long, for it gives the devil a foothold in my life and the lives of others. I must do my work wholeheartedly. And through my words and actions, I must not tear down others, but rather build them up. For doing so gives grace to them. And not doing so grieves the Holy Spirit. I must put away bitterness, wrath, anger, shouting, slander, and malice. I must be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving, just as God forgave me through Jesus Christ.

There is one Body of Christ with one God and Father over us all. And I am just one part in that whole. And while some of my brothers and sisters in Christ are very much like me, some are very much different from me. Regardless, I must love my brothers and sisters and prefer them over myself. Grace was given to me, as it was to my brothers and sisters. And I must walk worthy of my calling, in thought, in word and in deed. With all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with my brothers and sisters in love, keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. I must strive for unity and aspire to maturity in Christ, not swayed by false doctrines and trickery, but speak truth in love, so that I and my brothers and sisters may mature as parts of Christ's Body. I must constantly renew myself, through regular doses of God’s Word and prayer, constantly putting on the new me, in the likeness of God. For when I am transformed, I can see His perfect will.

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