IT'S NOT YOUR JOB

"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts."

I Corinthians 4:5

Joel Hemphill, a great southern gospel songwriter, wrote a hit song in the 1970's called "He's Still Working On Me.” It went like this:

"There really ought to be a sign upon my heart,
'Don’t Judge Me Yet There's An Unfinished Part'.
But I’ll be perfect just according to his plan,
Fashioned by the Master's loving hand."

Some Christians spend a lot of time judging others. I find it ironic that while we are supposed to proclaim the “good news” of the gospel, we often turn unbelievers away by our own bad news in the form of harsh criticism and judgment. After looking at how judgmental we can be, they might say to themselves: "If that’s Christianity, then I don’t want any part of it." Why do we push others away from Christ instead of allowing them to see the Christian qualities in us that bring us true peace and joy?

I’m afraid when we get to heaven, some of us are going to have a lot of explaining to do. Yes, as saved sinners our sins are forgotten, but the Bible promises that we will stand before God to discuss the good and bad in our lives.

So what are we to do? Without exception, Jesus tells us that that we should not judge no matter what. He tells us, "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with measure you use, it will be measured you." You see, Jesus knew the dangers of one person judging another. He knew the damage we could do to His ministry if people saw Christians judging everyone. Maybe that’s why some of His strongest warnings concerned judgment. "Why," He said, "do you look at a speck of sawdust in your brothers eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

He is reminding us that we can’t look at others unless we look at them through our own mistakes, failures, and sins. By doing this, He knows that we will be less inclined to judge and more inclined to forgive and love.

You see, none of us is where we need to be in our relationship with Christ. Yet, the Lord does not judge us the same way we judge others. When God looks at your life, He looks first at your heart and not your mistakes!

This week, remember how Joel Hemphill finished his song:

"In the mirror of his word, reflections that I see.
Make me wonder why he never gave up on me.
But he loves me as I am and helps me when I pray.
Remember, He’s the potter, I’m the clay."

This Week’s Prayer

Oh Lord, I want to promise you that I will never judge again. I know your command is to love and forgive, never to judge. I know how painful it is when others judge me. Please give me the disciple to follow all your commands, but especially the command to never judge others. My heart’s desire is to bring others the good news of your Son Jesus. This is my passion and purpose. Set my eyes upon this one, singular goal, Lord. And allow me to see the things I must correct in myself and no one else. Amen.