We Need to Remember that We are not Everyone Else’s God

I don’t know how many times a day, I catch myself chastising one of my kids by saying things like, “Tessa, you need to stop talking to your brothers like that. You are not the mom.” “Ethan, you are not Ryan’s dad; you don’t get to speak to him like that.” “Ryan, you are not Tessa’s dad. You don’t get to command her what to do.” Do you see the repeated refrain. My children have to learn, they aren’t the parents. They are the kids.

Romans 14:4 was brought to my attention recently: “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”

I know there are times in which we need to make a judgment that someone is doing something wrong and should be disciplined by the congregation or marked as in error. However, I just can’t help but wonder how many times I’ve responded to my brethren about something and God is in heaven saying, “Edwin, you don’t get to speak like that. You are not their God.”

Let’s help each other remember this.