06/17/2023
Does our judgement of others convict our own souls? Don't we ourselves feel unclean after judging those around us? I can't help but think of the separation from God I have felt after judging another's righteousness. Have you ever felt removed in this manner? Scripture is specific about our role in the judgement of others; it doesn't quibble in its language...
“"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”
Matthew 7:1-2 ESV
In reality we know this in our spirits and to the depths of our souls. We see a brother or sister behaving in a manner of faith that is contrary to our own, and judge their righteousness based on our own understanding; then, for a moment we feel better than them. Yet, as we walk away our soul convicts us and we feel uncertain in our action and as dirty as if we had strayed ourselves. There is a place within us that begs for forgiveness after judging others, and leads us to pray the prayer of the penitent.
I have thought about this over the years and wondered to myself why this is so. I have concluded that God alone understands our hearts and that in judging we are presuming to know the heart of another.
“But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.”
Romans 2:29 ESV
As a teenager I was given a hunting dog that was deemed to be worthless by the hunting club that owned it. This dog was a beautiful English Setter, but she was afraid of gunshots. In their attempt to correct this behavior, she had undergone much discipline, including being struck when she would run or cower. Finally, they gave up on her and were going to destroy her, but I stepped in and they gave this dog to me. I placed a leash on her collar and led her to my car; all the way home she laid with her head in my lap shaking, and never taking her eyes off of me. I petted and consoled her, but she just watched me... motionless.
For weeks I doted love and affection on her, but every time I would reach to pet her she would wince and draw back... the memory of being struck was ingrained in her. At long last she began to respond to me, and finally I felt that I had made enough progress that I could let her off the leash in my parent's fenced in backyard. I was nervous, but knew that this was the moment of truth, so I took her into the yard and removed the leash. She stood there beside me for a moment then bolted across the yard, climbed the fence, and ran off into the woods. I searched everywhere for her. I drove the roads looking for any glimpse of her while stopping to call her name... but to no avail. I never saw her again.
I am telling this story because this is what we can do to others who seek Christ when we try to make them conform to our ideas... by judging them. You see, I didn't lose my dog... she was lost before I received her. The damage that was done to her occurred at the hand of men who felt they were doing the right thing, but what they actually did was cause her to fear and mistrust all men. What they felt was wise turned out to be folly.
“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.”
Romans 12:16 ESV
God knows our hearts. His hand is gentle and his training and instruction is perfect in every way. We received the gospel from men, but God takes it from there. He knows our hearts and just how we will react to every form of instruction. When we are dealing with others, our desire to intercede on His behalf is often about our own need to elevate ourselves, or a feeling that we can do this better. Who are we to judge? How many would be Christians have we made hand-shy and untrusting of the Church? How many have we driven to climb the fence and doomed to a life in the wild?
So, judge not, deliver the gospel and then let others see God's reflection in your life. He may use your kindness, and that example as He deals with these new souls. Either way, they were His to win, and they are His to lose; just as we, and they, are His to judge.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for the instruction you give me every day. I thank you for the gentle hand when it is needed, and the stern command when appropriate. I ask Lord that you bridle my desire to judge others and teach me to leave them to your good methods. Holy Father, turn my efforts inward and teach me to seek out my own salvation while leaving others to work with you as they seek out theirs. You are at work in each of us and when you have done your good work in us, the judgement of our lives rests solely with you. Never let me judge others, because my judgement is superficial and I know them not.
Rich Forbes