Do not judge, or you too will be judged. … 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? [Matthew 7:1,3 NIV]
When it comes to judgement we all suffer from impaired vision. Biases blind us. Egos limit our line of sight. We each struggle to see clearly. We each have a proverbial plank in our eye. Yet we choose to gossip. To criticize. To judge the worthiness of a person to enter heaven.
It is that last judgement that I find so troubling. Christians are sadly known for judging sins that they do not struggle with. Sadly these days, in some theological circles, more sermons seem to be preached on homosexuality than all of the deadly sins combined. Tragic.
That said, what I find most troubling is the way that judgment alienates people and leaves them feeling rejected and unloved. In a very real sense, one cannot love while they are judging. When we judge our focus is not on rehabilitation but on condemnation. And that is heartbreaking.
In contrast, the scriptures teach us that love covers sins. The way to restore a person who has fallen is not to judge them. That only keeps them down. Love causes us to us to lift the one who has fallen. To forgive them. To mend their wounds. To see them with the eyes of heaven.
Cause us to make your heart glad Lord. Help us to love and not judge.
... this devotion is part of the z2a bible words series.
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