Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For
with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure
ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And
why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest
not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or
how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine
eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou
hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt
thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
–Matthew 7:1-5 (KJV)
Anytime a high profile pastor experiences
what we would call a fall from grace it tends to be big news.
Sadly, a watching world seems to be waiting for the next church leader
to admit to some secret sinful behavior. Several years ago a well-known
pastor in another state stepped down after allegations emerged of his
secret immoral behavior. He first denied it, then admitted it,
and then resigned his church in disgrace. I quietly observed all
of this and found myself struggling with a troubling question; why did
God choose to so bless a ministry whose leader was living what amounted
to a double life?
I confess this stuck in my mind, or as some
might say, it stuck in my craw – whatever a craw is. My thoughts
on the situation often ran like this; “Lord, this man was doing unthinkable
things, and yet he was preaching to thousands every Sunday. Here
I am living straight as an arrow. I have always been absolutely
faithful to my wife, and I am doing well to have 80 - 100 people show
up on Sunday. This isn’t fair!” I have had to seek God’s
forgiveness for my judgmental attitude. The disgrace this pastor
has endured, as well as his wife and family, has to have been extremely
painful.
I share all of this to illustrate how easily
we can allow the behavior and actions of others to distract us from
what God has called us to do. God will work His will according
to His plan and good purposes. As followers of Christ, we are
the vessels in jars of clay about which the Bible speaks in II Corinthians
4:7. We can easily become so wrapped up in the faults and failings
of others that we begin to overlook our own. Why God chose to
so bless a ministry whose leader was caught in a scandal is proof of
the power of God to work through the most flawed human vessels.
The Word of God was again proven true where it promises that our sin
will find us out (Numbers 32:23).
As Jesus’ followers we are facing a crisis
of disillusionment among believers who have left the faith and unbelievers
who want nothing to do with us. It is imperative we show a lost
world that there are still followers of Christ who are living lives
of sincerity and integrity. Do not be distracted by the failings
of others. Rather than pointing fingers in judgment, we are better
off seeking God in humility, lest we fall into sin ourselves.
Let us do as the Scripture teaches and “Look unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Keep your eyes on
Christ today, and you will overcome and walk forward in victory.
God bless you today.
