Daily Devotion: Judging Others

Scripture:
Matthew 7: 1-5

Main Verse:
Matthew 7: 1-2 (ESV)
"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.

Observation:
As I was having my quiet time with the Lord earlier, I remembered someone I know who does not want to go to church because he feels that people in church are hypocrites. I offered a prayer so that God will reveal Himself and take away that person's thinking, and after my prayer, I had the urge to look at Matthew 7 about judging others. I believe that we have at one time in our life judged others. We like "people-watching" even in church, but we don't just observe their physical appearance. We like observing what they do or what they don't do, what they say or what they don't say and how they say it. And based on those "observations," we form our own judgments of these people. The thing is, we like pointing out others' flaws but we are not willing to correct our own flaws. We set up a standard for others that we cannot even follow.

Jesus cautions us about judging others. Before we condemn others' behavior, He reminds us that we need to get rid of the log out of our eyes first (v.5). Jesus warns us: God will use the same measure we used in judging others. But if we fill our hearts with love, forgiveness, and mercy, the Lord will generously pour out His lovingkindness and grace upon us.

Application:
The church is not a place where perfect people meet. I think that we don't consciously judge others, but there are times we "subtly" judge others, including our own brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead of fixing our eyes on what people do wrong, let us fix our own faults. If you are starting to become too critical of others, talk to Jesus and ask Him to take it away from you. We don't have the ability to change others, but we can change ourselves through the help of our Lord. We must always fix our eyes on Jesus and ask Him to change us. Our prayer should be to ask God to continue working in our lives. Of course we need to pray for one another, and if you believe a brother or sister is living a sinful life, we need to gently and lovingly rebuke that person.

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for giving me another day to commune with you. Thank you for the insights and the knowledge and understanding. Thank you for reminding me not to judge others but to be critical of my own actions. I pray, Lord, that you will continue to help me change and be a better Christian and model among my brothers and sisters. May I always be conscious of my thoughts and actions and may I always honor you in my life. In Your Holy Name I pray. AMEN.