Friday, February 25, 2011

JUDGMENTAL OR NO?

Have you ever had anyone to cast judgment upon you?  I know you have!  Have you ever judged anyone on what you thought you knew?  I'm not an authority on this subject  but common sense tells us some things.   
When we are judged ~our first impulse is to judge or criticize the one that is judging us.  Don't do it! Don't even go there!  It may take a lot of prayer, but pray if you must.

Matthew 7:1-5  "Judge not, that ye be not judged, for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete it, it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how will thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold,a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's 
eye."

So many  times we cast judgment because someone doesn't measure up to our standards in one way or the other.  How would you like to be judged  that way? Frankly, I don't like it. 

This scripture plainly tells us that we need to focus on our own faults. Why is it so easy to see the faults of others and we have a fault that is far worse?    We have always heard 'when we point a finger at someone, we have three fingers pointing back to us.'

I John 8, we read of the woman that was taken in adultery.  The scribes and pharisees brought this woman to Jesus.

Seems they had their case made!  "We caught her, Lord!  In the very act!  Didn't Moses Law tell us that she should be stoned?   What  do you have to say about it?"   (paraphrased by me)

Here these self righteous  Pharisees thought they would tempt Jesus 
to see what He would say or do!  They wanted to accuse Jesus of not abiding by the law.  
Jesus wasn't one little bit perturbed.  He simply stooped down and with His finger wrote in the dust.  He acted like He had not heard them!
This really got to them ~ so they kept on pressing Him for an answer.  
Finally He stood up and said "He that is without sin among you, let him cast a stone at her."
He stooped down and starting writing again.  I would love to know what He wrote, but I just imagine He was listing their sins.  
What could they say?  Nothing!  They just left, one by one.  No stones were cast because they knew they were probably guilty of far worst sins.  (Could our sin of judging be written in the sand?)

I don't know what the woman was thinking during this time but finally she was left alone with Jesus.  He ask her where her accusers and had they condemned her.  She said " I have no accusers."  Jesus told her "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." 

Seems to me judging is pride. A "holier than thou" attitude!  
We probably all have at least one person in our life that think they know what we ought to do.  The only problem is ~ this particular person doesn't know that people are saying how  she comes across to them as "holier than thou." She is too busy telling others what the Bible says.  The devil would like us to think we are superior to others.  That is self-righteousness!


Proverbs 21:23 "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth
his soul from trouble."

1Peter 5:5  "Be clothed with humility; for God resiseth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

I have enough faults of my own without trying to show you what you need to do. I don't want to be judged in the way that someone may judge me.
That's why it is better to keep our mouth shut. We are responsible for our actions!  Don't re-act !
Let's leave the judging to God! 
 













 
 

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7 comments:

Jess B. and Kendall W. said...

John 8 is one of my favourite stories in the Bible :).

Deborah said...

Amen! Good thoughts, Aliene!

Barbara said...

Yes that is so true Aliene, thank you for this reminder, it seems to come so easy, shame on us, yes pray then pray more, ask the Father to give us a loving and compassionate heart, hugs my dear friend, have a blessed day, Barbara

Nikki (Sarah) said...

good post Aliene...thanks for this.

Far Above Rubies said...

Aliene, so true - thank you for this reminder.

God bless you,

Unknown said...

Amen sister, Amen! I fight this all the time. I really don't want to be judegmental. God knows I have plenty to judge in my own life. Your post was a gentle reminder to keep on fighting the temptation to think in a holier than thou mindset.

Sarah said...

Very often we should mind our own business. So true.

We should recognise sin and lovingly rebuke or exhort if it is necessary, but not to be judgemental. It is hard to find the balance, but if we pray to have love and be compassionate as our Lord is then the balance will be found.