WISDOM FROM THE PSALMS FOR 1/9/13

Psalm 123:3

Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

The Greens couldn't tolerate the Reds, because the Reds read their Bibles out loud. The Reds couldn't stand the Blues because they sang too many songs and they didn't always sing words the Reds knew. The Blues didn't like the Golds, because the Golds never did any mission work, and the Golds didn't like anybody else, because no one else took in much money on a Sunday morning.

The things we let divide us! God shakes His head in disbelief at the contempt we hold for others who don't quite agree with us. We live a country where there are almost three hundred different denominations, all claiming to have a special understanding of the Christian Gospel. What is more important than any point of faith is that we love one another, and that we treat one another accordingly. We need to ask God's forgiveness for our bent toward judging others. Each of us has enough to keep us busy with his own faith. When we start pointing fingers at others, that's when we prove positively that our own faith is in serious need of help.

Prayer:

Have mercy upon me, Lord. I apologize for all the times I have judged another person's faith, when my own faith is in such need of help. Remove the enormous plank from my own eye, O God, that I might truly begin to see. Amen.