by Jim Hughes
Matt. 7:1-2 “Stop judging others and you will not be judged. For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged.”
If you are like most of us, judging others comes easily. We tend to be critical of those who don’t measure up to our expectations. We do it mainly because it makes us look at ourselves in a positive light. We think of ourselves as better than he who falls short. As long as we see the faults and failures of others, we don’t see our own.
The Lord tells us not to be that way. People catch on quickly and will in turn judge us. No one is perfect and all of us are good targets for judgmental spirits. We do reap what we sow. If you don’t like being on the tail end of criticism, then don’t criticize others. None of us are perfect and are targets for being judged.
Instead of being judgmental, we are called to be a people of grace, love and forgiveness. We are to be kind towards others and not look down on them. Sure people mess up and sometimes royally, but who are we to make a big deal out of it and rake someone over the coals for it? We can correct someone out of kindness and love instead of judgmental spirits.
If you find yourself being quick to judge, ask the Lord to help you do what is right in his eyes. Ask Him to forgive you and give you a spirit of love and grace. Ask Him to hold you accountable for your spirit and help you to act in a more acceptable way.
About the Author:
Spending his formative years in Ft. Wayne, IN, Jim followed the love of his life to southeast Iowa where they married and have spent the majority of their lives. Jim has pastored several churches throughout his life and has worked many years in local factories to help support his family. The father of two married adult children and one son still at home, Jim is a first-time author.
C Through Marriage came into being through many years of pastoral and life experiences. The book first took on a life of its own over 20 years ago when I sought to address the much publicized moral failures of prominent leaders in the church. In the chapter on Chasity, I include the guideliness that I developed then to protect one’s self from such failures.
I am a firm believer in order to make sense out of life you have to use much common sense. We need to get back to the basics of what has worked for many, many generations. If is isn’t broke, why try to fix it? I strive to return to the basics of what really works in all my writings.