Verne Strickland Blogmaster / July 25, 2012
Scripture: "Stop judging, and you will never be judged. Stop
condemning, and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be
forgiven."
Luke 6:37
Don't Judge Me
Don't you hate being judged? Ugh, I
hate it. In fact, I go to great lengths to
avoid it, but still I feel like others are always focusing on my flaws. You know,
judgment is a soul toxin, maybe one of the worst. I might compare it to drinking lead; it just
sits there
in your soul like a weight, poisoning everything. But today, Jesus is
giving you the remedy to avoid being judged, one you might not have
heard. In fact, if you're like me, you might have been doing
just the
opposite,
unknowingly heaping more and more judgment in your life. But today we
can start to reverse that. So first, I need you to answer a question for
me...
Answer This
If you were facing a trial and had the option of being either in the
defendant's shoes (the one being judged) or the prosecutor's shoes (the
one doing the judging), which would you choose? If you were me, you
would choose the prosecutor's chair, because that is the one
safe from judgment, right?
WRONG. Jesus said it's actually the opposite. And I want you to read a story with me to prove it.
"The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had
been caught committing adultery. They made her stand in front of
everyone and asked Jesus, 'Teacher, we caught this woman in the act of
adultery. In his teachings, Moses ordered us to stone women like this to
death. What do You say?' They asked this to test Him. They wanted to
find a reason to bring charges against Him. Jesus bent down and used His
finger to write on the ground. When they persisted in asking Him
questions, He straightened up and said, "The person who is sinless
should be the first to throw a stone at her." Then He bent down again
and continued writing on the ground. One by one, beginning with the
older men, the scribes and Pharisees left. Jesus was left alone with the
woman. Then Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Where did they go?
Has anyone condemned you?" The woman answered, "No one, Sir." Jesus
said, "I don't condemn you either. Go! From now on don't sin." (John
8:3-11)
Let It Sink In
Imagine that you're her. Think of your worst sin, the thing you most
desperately want to keep from other people. I know I have mine. Now
imagine that all the authorities in your life have brought you to face
your punishment before God and everyone else. How do you feel? Probably
like me, terrified! But then instead, Jesus gets down off of the Judge's
chair, walks over to your accusers, and says, "Well, which one of you
are perfect? You can be the one to cast the judgment." And then one by
one, they drop their charges. Then He walks over to you, and He says—and
this is actually what He is saying to you
now—"I don't condemn you either. Go and be free of your sin."
Judge Not, and You Will Not Be Judged
You see, out of all the people in the story with Jesus, only
one received His forgiveness—the one
facing judgment, not
casting
it. As long as you are in the judgment seat, Jesus says you are
actually going to receive it the most! "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."
Matthew 7:1-2
It's like you are trying to dig your way out of a ditch, but with every
pile of dirt you shovel out, one more is piled in. That's what happens
when you judge others. In fact, Jesus goes on to say that the bad you
see in others are actually your own flaws: "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."
Matthew 7:3-5
It's like you were sitting in your house, noticing everyone's flaws out
the window, but what you don't realize is that you're not looking at a
window, but a
mirror. And every judgment you cast on "others" is actually one you're casting on yourself.
The Remedy
So what's the remedy? The antidote to judgment is actually
mercy. That's what Jesus showed with the adulterous woman. Actually I shouldn't call her that; I should more rightly call her the
forgiven woman. Because when she was at her lowest, Jesus showed her
mercy, and it gave her forgiveness. The Bible says, "Mercy
triumphs over judgment."
James 2:13
In a fighting match, mercy is stronger than judgment. So if you are
feeling clogged up with judgment-for yourself and for others-God wants
you to take a
mercy pill. He wants you to first accept the mercy
He is offering you, and then start to give it to others. He wants you to
put yourself in the position of the adulterous woman and not in the
position of her judges. Because as you
give mercy, you will
receive it in return.
Take a Mercy Pill
Take God's mercy pill today...and start to take it everyday. Every
time you start to judge someone, just pause and take a dose of God's
mercy instead. Think of how many of your flaws Jesus has forgiven. Let
it flow through your soul and touch others in return. For example, today
I was at the grocery store, and started to judge the woman in front of
me. But then I started to think instead of all the good things about
her, and I started to feel mercy for myself too! It's the same for you:
you can start to live a life of mercy for yourself and others. If you
want to receive God's mercy and start to give it to others in return,
just tell Him in the
Comments. He will give you what you ask! Let's start to get rid of the soul toxin of judgment! Help us God!
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