Monday, May 8, 2017

Judge Not

By Andrea Merrell


Judge not, that you be not judged.  
For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged;
and with the measure you use, 
it will be measured back to you.  
Matthew 7:1-3

It was one of the toughest situations in my life. It was devastating, especially since the events were tearing a church apart.

And there I was, on staff and right in the midst of the chaos, with no one to turn to until God stepped in and cleaned up the mess.

They say time heals all wounds, but does it? One day—over five years after the fact—I found myself in an emotional battle when the guilty party’s name came up. This man had hurt me, betrayed me, and left a lot of wounded souls in his wake. How could he ever be used in ministry again? How could he be trusted?

But I had forgiven and moved on ... hadn’t I?

My own hurt had deceived me … betrayed me. Thinking I had done what was right in God’s eyes, I had actually failed miserably. One morning in my devotional reading, God turned on the light and turned up the heat. He showed me that I had unknowingly set myself up as judge and jury, sentencing this man to a life separated from God and God’s calling on his life. In my mind and heart, I had rejected, judged, and condemned another believer.

The Bible says judge not. When we ignore God’s Word—whether consciously or not—we set ourselves up for failure. When we sow judgment, that’s what we reap. We receive a much better harvest when we plant seeds of kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and love.

This scenario taught me a valuable lesson: check your heart daily and don’t take anything for granted. God never intended for us to judge, only to love.

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Sira Anamwong.)

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