Don't Judge

A small fault in our neighbor we see much more readily than a large one in ourselves.

 Matthew 7:1-5  "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  2  For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.  3  "And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own?  4   How can you think of saying to your friend, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye?  5   Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.

James 2:13  There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when He judges you.

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Here is an area that requires great caution. We cannot say that we can never judge for any reason, if we did then we wouldn't have any people in our prisons, so we must determine what Jesus meant when he said that we shouldn't judge.

Surely Jesus isn't telling us to close down our courts and our prisons and let civility go away and I am pretty sure that he wants me to judge to discern good from evil. Rather Jesus is referring to our unforgiving and quick to judge on the little things that determine how we treat each other.

Jesus message was an indictment against the Pharisees for they spent all of their time looking around at other people and throwing the law at them when they were no better. Our sin nature wishes to elevate ourselves above all others so that we feel better about our own shortcomings.

We are quick to judge and withhold mercy even though we so long for mercy and forgiveness to be given to us.  If we are quick to forgive and slow to hand out rash judgments then we will attract more people to the gospel message that is all about forgiveness.

Thank you Lord for the forgiveness that you have bestowed on me. Help me to be forgiving and slow to judge those that do me wrong.