Quick to Judge

Judge not, that you be not judged.

(Matthew 7:1, NKJV)

We are told that within a few minutes of meeting someone new, we determine if we like them or not.  This does not mean that our perceptions are always right, but we take a position of whether this new person is one we want to be around or not. If by chance we remain in the same space, our continued interactions with the new person will be seeking to confirm what we have already thought or decided about him/her. This is something that we all do unconsciously, as deep within we seek to protect ourselves.  We often refer to this as intuition or sixth sense and admittedly, it is a powerful communication within ourselves especially in cases of danger.  Whether we realize it or not, many times we tend to judge or classify people and things at a whim, we call it a gut feeling.  Powerful as our intuition might be, there is a need to be balanced and this is where we open our minds and hearts to learn what is behind the face of the individual, making an effort to know the real person not the mask or first impression that we encounter.  

Beloved, I am gently saying that when we determine something about another person, we are judging and yes, we are all in this together, it is an innate self-preservation characteristic.  The question is what we do with the determination that we make. Our reference verse are words spoken by our Lord Jesus that we should not judge others.  Verses around it sternly remind us that the measure that we use to judge others is the same measure which will be used to judge us.  That statement should call us to attention for none of us wants to be judged, yet Jesus continued to say that we are hypocrites when we quickly accuse others of the speck in their eyes forgetting that we ourselves are having not just a speck but a log (Matthew 7:2-5).  Beloved, this tells us that we cannot take the high horse to judge and condemn others for we too would be found guilty.  Jesus is reminding us that when we see others as flawed, we too have blind spots and are simply works of God’s grace.  While we will not close our eyes to what is going wrong, we are to acknowledge that each one of us has good and bad experiences, there is need to balance our perceptions, celebrate the good while helping to correct the bad.  We are not to be those who overlook the good for the bad, we are to be those who encourage others in light, humbly recognizing that despite our own weaknesses, Jesus out of love died for us all.  The apostles showed us how to help one another, not in public but privately.  We read of a man Apollos who eloquently spoke of the scriptures in Ephesus though he had known only the baptism of John.  Noting the gap, Aquila and Priscilla took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately (Acts 18: 24-26). This beloved is what we are to do, when we find a gap, we help the brother or sister.  Apostle Paul reminds us not to stand holier than others by thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought but instead to be sober, acknowledging that God has given each one of us a measure of faith (Romans 12:3).  Paul further warns us to be careful when we think we stand lest we fall (1 Corinthians 10:12).  Beloved, we are pilgrims, taking a walk of faith and growing in the righteousness of God.  We must learn to be compassionate with one another, for we too require compassion, more so from God.  Ours is to gently bring others to the gospel of the truth of God and let God alone by the judge. 

Thoughts:

What is your reflection on above?

Where have you judged others?

How will you show compassion and understanding of others?