Tsk, tsk! I would NEVER be caught doing THAT!
The Word: With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again (Matthew 7:2).
Prayerful Contemplation: It is very easy to pass judgment on other people, and to notice the mistakes of others before I see my own shortcomings. It is also very easy to perceive errors where they do not exist. Perhaps in some warped way, it is consoling to us as believers to realize that there is someone out there that we can consider worse off than ourselves, spiritually speaking.
There are two kinds of judgment – righteous judgment (John 7:24) and unrighteous judgment (Matt 7:1-5). Somehow, I find it much easier to pass the wrong kind of judgment. I am sure that if you are human, you do, too.
If I think in my mind, “Wow, she claims to be virtuous, and she dresses like that!”, what I mean in my heart is, “I am a virtuous woman because I do not dress like she does.” And when I think, “Hmm, she missed Bible Study last week – again!” I have probably already condemned her, whoever “she” is, to a walk that is not worthy of her calling in Christ.
A friend of mine told me about an incident at a nail salon. She had gone to do her nails, when in walked a woman, skimpily dressed, with her cleavage exposed and her talons ready for a touch-up. My friend looked at her and wondered why the woman would dress in that manner. As she waited for her appointment, however, the woman reached into her handbag and pulled out a small Bible, and began to read it. My friend immediately felt ashamed for her judgmental thoughts.
It is not that what the woman did was right – dressing skimpily is definitely not a good thing. However, for my friend to think, like I and many other people would, that it would be impossible for such a woman to have any strand of morality in her by virtue of her dressing, was also wrong.
Judgment will often cause us to attempt to advise another person into doing things our way. “Hey,” we say, “Perhaps it would be better if you did it like this…” or, “Things are going wrong for you because you did not do what you were supposed to.”
Judgment, when performed by human beings, never takes into consideration a person’s circumstances or surroundings. Judgment takes one look and makes a decision without sympathizing or empathizing. The woman who was caught in adultery in John chapter 8 would have died if Jesus had not intervened. Nobody thought to ask where the man was – she cannot have been committing adultery all by herself, after all. Because she was a woman and because of the culture in that day, she was immediately judged. Further, as Jesus pointed out, nobody seemed to remember that they themselves had probably committed sins a few seconds ago.
Her act was not right – adultery is a sin. But Jesus came in and put things in the correct perspective.
When Mary Magdalene went before Jesus in an act of worship, pouring out oil from an alabaster flask and literally preparing Jesus for His burial like He said, the men in the room immediately judged her – and they judged Jesus, too. “If He were a true prophet” (to paraphrase one man’s thoughts) “He would have known what kind of person this woman is.” Therefore, this man was thinking, “He is not a true prophet.” (Luke 7:36-50.)
Jesus tells us not to judge, because we will be placed on the same scale that we use to judge other people. “With the same measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” I should not judge a person’s actions or mentally condemn them to hell if I know that I myself fall short. If I expect a woman to be perfect in her dressing, then I will be expected to be perfect in mine. If I judge a person for showing up late, then it will be assumed that I am always punctual, no matter what.
Practical Application: When I judge other people in an ungodly way, I am consciously or subconsciously deciding that God’s wisdom is not enough, that He does not see what is happening, and that my standards are above His. In so doing, I greatly risk having those very high standards being used on myself. I should not make rash judgments, because I do not know all things. Only God can see the past, the present and the future and make decisions that are absolutely perfect concerning a person’s actions. I should not judge or condemn myself either – that would still be sinful. when I fall short, then as always, I should run – fast – to Jesus, make confession, accept His forgiveness, and stay in Him so that my ways become what they are supposed to be. If I look at people with the eyes of Jesus, then I will judge righteous judgment.
Memory Verse: Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment (John 7:24).
Prayer: Father in heaven, I thank You for Your stedfast love. I appreciate that You reveal my shortcomings, and where the revelation may cause me to cringe in pain and horror at the thought of going against Your will, I depend on Your Holy Spirit to be a Balm to my aching heart. Let me never try to put my own standards above Yours. In fact, Father, I ask that You teach me never to use any standards, except Your own. I say this prayer in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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