Judge Not — Part 1
It has been said that “things are as God sees them, and not as they seem to me.” And John 7:24 says, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
Judge Not
Where this command is found:
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Matthew 7:1-3
God has instilled in every human being a need for righteous judgment. However, instead of looking to the Judge of all the earth to plead our case, we many times take matters into our own hands acting as the judge. One of the problems with this approach is that we tend to be very subjective in our personal sense of justice. We may want harsh judgment towards the person who offended us and yet, when we are wrong, we desire mercy shown to us.
So how should we properly address a wrong we see in someone else’s life? Jesus gives us the answer in the command Judge Not found in Matthew 7:1–5. First, like removing the “beam” in our own eye, we are to allow the Lord to deal with our own shortcomings. Then, we can see clearly to help others with the “mote” in their eye who may be struggling in similar ways.
Once we have allowed God to work repentance and humility in our own lives, we then have the tools needed to lovingly share the truth with others. If we fail to take these important steps, not only do we run the risk of offending the person who we are trying to help, but we will also fall under the same judgment with which we have judged.
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Episodes
Judge Not — Part 2
Have you ever considered the fact that we are best at identifying in other people what is actually in ourselves? Oftentimes the wrong we see in other people is a mirror that is reflecting the wrong in our own lives.
Judge Not — Part 3
It is so easy for us to judge quickly and harshly (i.e., to judge with unrighteous judgment). It is key for us to learn to walk in humility and to seek the Lord’s mind and perspective.
Judge Not — Part 4
Do you desire to “fix” those around you or do you desire to come alongside them? In reality, allowing God to first deal with us enables us to actually help others.
