Scripture:
1 Timothy 5:24-25 – Remember, the sins of some people are obvious leading them to certain judgement. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. In the same way, good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.
Observation:
Paul uses these two verses to advise Timothy that God is all knowing, righteous and He is the ultimate judge. We should be careful not to condemn people for a sin that is revealed, as we all have sin that God knows. Also, we need to be careful not to rank believers on their outward appearance of service as many do things for family or others that may unfortunately go unnoticed accept by God.
Application:
God is all knowing, all powerful righteous loving Father. God and God alone is the only one holy and without sin qualified to pass judgement. Jesus reminds the Pharisees of everyone’s sin when a woman was caught in adultery in John 8:7. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” As we are all sinners, God loved us so much that He has provided us salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to pay for our sins. I must remember the Gospel daily and not look at someone else’s sin as worse than my own. Any service I do should be from the power of the Spirit working inside my heart and never have a force ranking or comparative value relative to other believer’s good deeds.
Prayer:
Father,
Thank you for the truth in your word and sending Jesus to save me from my sin. Help me not be one who judges but one who loves, encourages and shares with others.