Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
4/30/2021
Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.
“One of the peculiar sins of the twentieth century which we’ve
developed to a very high level is the sin of credulity. It has been said
that when human beings stop believing in God they believe in nothing.
The truth is much worse: they believe in “anything”. Malcolm
Muggeridge
Who chooses your “anything”? You or the pressures to conform around
you? How do you know something is good or even great if you haven’t been
able to judge what is wrong or bad or undesirable?
The Bible says: Judge not – any man without full, clear, certain
knowledge, without absolute necessity, without tender love. Luke
6:37
But quoting anything out of context gives you the
half-truth
of a well-structured lie. Doesn’t it?
Jesus follows that up with the well-known verse Why do you see the
splinter in your brother’s eye but do not notice the log in your own
eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you
will see clearly enough to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.
(Matt 7:3,5)
I wear contacts and sometimes it goes bad or folds over on itself and
it feels like there is a log or dagger in my eye. When that happens, I
could care less about what you are doing next to me, good-bad, or
indifferent. I am so blinded by this great device that has had a
malfunction; all I care about is flushing that puppy out. Yes, it feels
like the proverbial log spoken of here. How can I possibly judge you
when I am half-blind by my own ailments!
If one sees someone with an anger management problem or a lust
problem they are often blind to their own. Their judgment or
condemnation is often what they are doing.
So the passage is actually a condemnation of hypocrisy, not
judgment. (Who sees that?)
Jesus is calling out those who judge others while they do the same
thing! And if their sin problem or offensive behavior is causing you to
rise up. What does that say about your personal balance of good and
evil? If we do not judge, then we cannot praise anything either. What is
praise but the expression of approval or admiration for someone or
something? It is indeed a judgment! We personally made a distinction.
Judging calls for the assessment or the distinction between what is good
or bad, not just calling it out. Not just declaring it is bad or
evil.
So what is Jesus saying? NOT TO JUDGE?
I don’t think so.
I believe what he is saying is to make sure the platform of your
heart is clean. Make sure there is nothing in your eye to distort the
truth.
But JUDGE WHAT IS RIGHT AND GOOD!
Consider that when someone is robbed or killed, there comes a
negative judgment. Without that how can there be forgiveness? Jesus,
said, Eph 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other, just as in Christ God
forgave you”.
So never let anyone shout you down or call you self-righteous for
calling out something that is wrong. Good judgment requires a pure heart
and a right spirit. Godly Judgement is something we are all called to do
every day 1,000 times. At work, at home, in our relationships. Someone
once said if you do not stand for something you will fall for anything.
We are all called to be good judges. To judge that which is good, and
holy and just and praise it. Just as we, out of a pure and clean heart,
need to judge what is wrong and … in love set it straight. Isn’t that
the way we raise a God-fearing family. “Raise your children in the ways
of the Lord and they will not depart from it”. Proverbs 22:6
Will you not stop and pray with your family just one hour this week
and the goodness of God will shower you with riches, in His Glory.
Mercy Me Best News Ever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acbcKrnnJAk
