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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