Dr. Rick Mandl - October 16, 2020
"I Thought You Were The Father Of One Of My Children"
Devotional Manuscript: I Thought You Were The Father Of One Of My Children
Message By Dr. Rick Mandl, October 16, 2020.
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family. I’ve got a question for you. And my question is, “Are You A Judgmental Person?” “Are You A Judgmental Person?” If you’re sure how to answer that, let me encourage you to survey your friends, as I’m sure that at least one or two of them will be willing to help you come up with an answer.
Speaking of judging. I hope you’re able to join us for worship this weekend, as we continue our series called “Dumb Things Christians Say.” This weekend’s dumb thing is “Christians Shouldn’t Judge.” How is that a dumb thing? You’ll have to join us this weekend to find out.
In preparing for this weekend, I was reminded of a story of a man named Joe who was on his way out of a grocery store when he crossed paths with an attractive young woman who greeted him with a very cheerful and enthusiastic “Hi!” Her face was beaming. Joe’s problem was he couldn’t remember having ever seen her before. Well, because of his reaction to her greeting, this young woman quickly realized that she had made a mistake. She apologized to him saying, “Oh, I’m so sorry,” “When I first saw you I thought you were the father of one of my children.” Joe didn’t know how to respond to that, so he said nothing, instead he continue on to his car. But then he thought to himself “What is this world coming to? An attractive woman who doesn’t even remember what the father of one of her kids looks like. On the one hand he was a little bit flattered that he might resemble one of her former companions. On the other hand, he seriously hoped that nobody overheard her saying that she mistook him for being the father of one of her children.
With all of these thoughts racing through his mind and a bit stunned, Joe continued walking to his car. He still did not realize, of course, that….that the attractive young women was a second grade teacher. Which kind of changes the meaning of her words when she said “I thought you were the father of one of my children.” Joe was guilty judging, all because he misunderstood what someone was saying to him. Of course the problem of judging is nothing new.
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about judging and here is what he said . . . (Matthew 7:1-5) “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged"///. “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? /// "Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”///
So, back to my original question – “Are you a judgmental person?” Someone once said, the only exercise some folk get is “Jumping to conclusions.” Is that you? Is it ever right to judge? Well, the same Jesus who said, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). Also said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). I hope you can be with us this weekend as we explore this subject.
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
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