TUESDAY March 31, 2020
Do Not Judge
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Matthew 7:1-2
n this final chapter, Jesus’ teachings within the Sermon on the Mount are coming to an end. In Matthew 6, Jesus left off teaching lessons about life’s priorities. He comforted His disciples. God knows our needs; we do not have to worry about our lives. In Matthew 7, Jesus continued His sermon with the intent that His disciples should keep this important mentality--seek first the kingdom of God.
Jesus once again addressed the problem with judging others. The word judge means “being critical in your judgment¬¬—criticizing.” This is where a person loves to point out every little negative detail in another person’s life. That is having a critical spirit. People in the church can criticize their pastor, the elders, the sheep—those in the congregation––and even their neighbors. When they criticize others, they are, in fact, making an obvious statement, “I am better than you are.” Jesus warned His disciples not to criticize other people because it has a way of coming back to them.
A person who has a critical spirit will bring division into the church, and they will destroy the character of other people. Understand, that is not right. Never create waves of criticism. It will hurt you and others. No one has the right to place themselves above others. God is not a respecter of persons; His love is for everyone.
Christians need to be able to discern and make right judgments. Do they really know what is going on in the hearts of other people? Believers can outwardly see people’s emotions and reactions, but they do not know their hearts. With the same standard you judge others, it will return to you and bite you¬¬––big time. You do not want God to judge you!
Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.
~Dietrich Bonhoeffer~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!