Daily Devotion in Romans 2

Daily Nugget:
One of man’s natural tendencies is to judge others by his measuring stick, usually himself. Paul, in this chapter, strongly addresses this weakness.
“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things… 3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?” Romans 2:1-3

Most of the time, when we judge others, we have or have had the same problem ourselves. When I was younger, my mother pointed this out to me, “You are complaining about what others do, but you have done the same thing.” Gulp! She was right.

It also seems that those that have had the biggest problems, or are still having them, complain the loudest. It is often the ex-smoker that criticizes the most about another’s smoke he is inhaling. A father grumbles to his son about his child’s late hours of coming home and forgot how his father used to rebuke him in his younger days for the same thing. One that recently lied on his income tax form somehow is not convicted when he judges a worker who just lied to him. On and on, our hypocritical judging goes.

God, however, knows the truth, and He remembers (Rom. 2:3). For the born-again child of God, there is no judgment for sins. All their sins are paid for and no longer remembered (Hebrews 10:17). All Christians, however, will be judged (Mat. 12:36, Gal. 6:7, Eph. 6:8, Col. 3:24 …) for what they did or did not do for the Lord. It is called the Judgment Seat of Christ (II Cor. 5:10), and it will involve reward or loss of rewards (Rev. 22:12).

Sadly, for the unsaved person, their judgment will be at the White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15). That fearful condemnation will be at the end of Christ’s 1,000-year reign on Earth. At that judgment, the lost will be judged for their works (Rev. 20:14).

Considering our coming day of judgment before an Almighty God who knows everything about us (our real intents for doing something, what we did when no one else saw us, and all other dark secrets), our judging of others seems so insignificant and embarrassing. We certainly want our mistakes and sins overlooked when we stand before our Judge. We need to show the same grace and mercy God had with us.

Stop judging others and leave that to the One who knows all.

Today’s Thought: 
“A reputation is what man thinks of us. Character is what God knows us to be.” — Author Unknown

Words to Understand:
Contentious: the tendency to argue
Gentile: one who is not a Jew
Impenitent: a hardened, unrepentant sinner
Immortality: never ceasing to exist
Indignation: justified anger
Sacrilege: disrespect or profaning things that are holy

Today’s Reading:
Romans 2
1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
17 ¶ Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.