We hear it all the time: “Christians aren’t supposed to judge.” But is that really what the Bible teaches?
Certainly, we cannot know another person’s heart or motives, and Jesus strongly warned against hypocritical, self-righteous judgment. But Scripture also commands believers to recognize sin, lovingly confront it when necessary, and help one another turn from destructive patterns. Sometimes refusing to judge sinful behavior isn’t loving at all.
But biblical judgment must begin much closer to home—with ourselves.
Today we’ll look at a series of heart-probing questions, based on 1 Corinthians 13 and other passages, that can help expose sinful habits before they damage our relationship with God and with the people we love.
We’ll also consider some things to remember when we’re going through tests and trials and some of the traps that can lead to sexual immorality.
It’s often one of the first questions we ask when life takes a painful turn.
Why this illness? Why did that relationship end? Why is my child struggling? Why did I lose my job? Why now?
God is not threatened by the sincere questions of His hurting children. But like Job, we can cross a line from humbly asking for understanding to demanding that God explain Himself.
Could we be asking the wrong question?
Instead of focusing only on why the trial happened, Scripture encourages us to ask what God wants to reveal, how He wants us to grow, and what a faithful response should look like. And perhaps the most humbling question is not “Why has God allowed this hardship?” but “Why has He shown me such undeserved mercy?”
We’ll also revisit some familiar verses from Romans that are often used in presenting the gospel. Can repeating a “sinner’s prayer” or “asking Jesus into your heart” give someone false assurance? And how can we clearly explain salvation without leading someone to trust in words they repeated rather than in Christ?
Sometimes we suffer because someone else sinned against us. Sometimes hardship comes through persecution, sickness, loss, or simply living in a fallen world. We should never assume we know why another person is suffering or carelessly accuse them of causing it.
But there is a question we should be willing to ask about our own suffering:
Could my response be making it worse?
We may have been genuinely wronged, yet respond with bitterness, sinful anger, revenge, withdrawal, substance abuse, sexual sin, or other destructive choices. The original hurt may not have been our fault, but our responses can add another layer of pain.
Today we’ll look at three heart-probing questions that can help us identify whether sin is complicating our suffering. We’ll also consider the important ministry God has given older believers and ask what truly makes someone a child of God.
Do you ever find yourself arguing… even when the issue really isn’t that important?
Do you feel compelled to point out the other side of every discussion? Do you have a hard time letting someone else have the last word? Or do you quietly replay conversations in your mind, thinking of all the things you wish you had said?
Most of us wouldn’t describe ourselves as argumentative. Yet today’s proverb gives us reason to stop and examine our hearts.
The Bible describes a contentious woman—not simply someone who occasionally disagrees, but someone whose words and attitudes regularly create conflict rather than peace.
The uncomfortable truth is that because of our sinful nature, every one of us has at least a little of that tendency. The good news is that God doesn’t simply expose our sin—He also shows us how to change.
Today we’ll discover where a contentious spirit comes from, why it’s often rooted in pride and selfishness, and how the gospel enables us to become women (and men) who speak with wisdom, kindness, and grace.
Loving prodigals can be heartbreaking and confusing. It’s hard to know what to do. When should we help? And when should we stay out of the way? Perhaps we should ask ourselves, are we really helping, or could we merely be helping them stay comfortable in their pigsty, the very place God wants them to feel uncomfortable, even hungry?
If you have a prodigal, I hope you’ll read today’s post and share your thoughts.
And from our other readings:
What is death? Why do we call an unbeliever spiritually dead? What is the second death?
Finally, some questions we should ask ourselves. James tells us we are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. But I think we could also say that we should be doers and not just talkers when it comes to doing. Do we talk a lot about God or actually live for Him? Do we talk about winning souls, or do we share the gospel? And do we talk about prayer or do we pray? I know these are convicting questions for me. How about you?
As January comes to an end and the second month of the year begins, many of us will be examining the goals and resolutions we made just a few weeks ago. We’ll examine our progress (or lack of it) concerning a new diet, exercise plan, or some other goal. If we’re in school, we take examinations to test our proficiency in those subjects. And when it comes to our health, we get numerous examinations and tests to ensure we stay as healthy as we can. But how many of us take the time to examine the most important thing, our spiritual health?
Does salvation + time + knowledge = spiritual maturity? If not, where does it come from? From years of church membership? From learning how to use Bible software or getting 10 devotionals in your inbox? Does it come with a degree in theology? Or from attending Bible studies week after week? If not, what does it take?
We often talk about having a guilty conscience or a clear conscience, but how much do we really understand about what the conscience is and how it works?
Our consciences can make us uncomfortable when we’re doing something we believe is wrong. And sometimes we’d rather silence that discomfort than deal with what it’s telling us. In fact, our culture often encourages us to throw off old standards and simply do whatever feels right to us.
But God gave us a conscience as a mercy. It can warn us when we’re headed in the wrong direction and prompt us to examine our lives, repent, and change.
Yet, there’s something else we need to understand: our consciences aren’t infallible. They operate according to what we believe is right and wrong. That means a conscience can be poorly informed and needs to be continually brought into alignment with God’s Word.
So, can you trust your conscience? How do you know whether it’s guiding you according to God’s standard or your own? And how can you re-inform it with biblical truth?
We’ll also look at Paul’s warning about examining ourselves before taking the Lord’s Supper, why biblical self-examination is different from unhealthy introspection, and some practical questions that can help us evaluate how well we’re loving God and the people around us.
Last week I shared about something that happened almost 20 years ago that rocked my walk with God and my husband’s, as well. The change that God did through it eventually rippled out into every part of our lives. Today I’m going to talk about a principle that will not only rock our lives personally but will lay the foundation for understanding and obeying the other principles we find in God’s Word.
Throughout the centuries, some of the greatest men and women of God have kept journals. But journaling isn’t just for spiritual giants. It’s for you and me. If you find it hard to concentrate during your quiet time, a journal...
