Don't Judge?

Don’t judge?

Right there in Matthew 7:1 it states don’t judge.

This passage is a favorite of many, perhaps for the wrong reasons.

Matthew 7:1 is the most misunderstood and misquoted passage today. The words were said by Jesus to his followers as part of his Sermon on the Mount discourse. These words taken out of context have caused lots of confusion.

Read Matthew 7:1-5.

 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Wisdom, discernment, humility, and holiness, are qualities that are strengths.

The words, do not judge, speak to the prideful attitude that’s demonstrated when we point our finger at a fellow believer without noticing there are three other fingers pointing back at ourselves.

We do it all the time: The nudge to our spouse during a sermon, a prayer for God to “fix” a friend while neglecting our own flaws, the gossip about a colleague’s weakness.

The plank causes blindness to our own sinful state. Looking at another is a way to distract and detract from our own junk.

Let's be honest. We love ourselves…a lot. We give ourselves lots of grace. That’s why we are to love others as we love ourselves.

And we are to love God, first. We demonstrate that love by obedience to His Word, His standard.

We have all fallen short. 

We need each other to get back up.

We know good from evil, right from wrong.

We examine ourselves, testing our attitudes and actions.

We strive toward holiness. We fall. We try again.

Fellow Jesus followers, let's deal with our own stuff and let's help each other. There are times each of us needs a little kick in the pants. 

Let’s love each other and respect one another enough to boldly speak truth with grace.

I receive correction more readily when a brother or sister comes to me in humility. I pray I am able to let go of  my pride and allow God to convict me through another. I pray that I will be obedient to the Lord when He calls me to be His messenger and to deliver that message with humility, love, and truth.

God is holy. God is truth. God is love. God is our judge (Psalm 58:11, Acts 10:41-43). 

With the knowledge to understand and clear eyes to see what is dusty and what is not, let’s each grab a broom and sweep out the sawdust together. 

With faith, hope, and love,

Lori

Head over to Amazon to get Raising Little Kids with Big Love 

and Raising Big Kids with Supernatural Love. 

The Goodness Chapter in both books deals with how to approach your child's temptation(s) with love and truth according to their uniqueness (age, stage, and personality).