THERE IS ONLY ONE JUDGE

I have been perplexed by the thought of judging. Are we supposed to judge? I have heard all my life, “Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged.” I thought that was pretty straight forward, I am in no place to judge anyone, I have no knowledge of their circumstances, or what is in their heart. However, once several years ago, I attended a church where the sermon was on judging. The preacher said we SHOULD judge people. His theory was kind of like the old saying, “If you lay down with dogs you will get fleas.” He said you should surround yourself with good people, and not anyone who you thought would be a bad influence.

I understand his thought process, but I still never attended that church again. I have been just as guilty as anyone else in the judging category, especially when it comes to my children. I never wanted them to hang out with anyone who I considered inappropriate. Maybe they dressed too provocative, drank too much, smoked, or did drugs. I have even banned kids from my house until they could pass a drug test, I wanted to keep that influence as far away from my kids as I could. Is this judging the person, or just their habits? Is there a difference? In church last Sunday, my preacher spoke on the book of Jude. Jude warned that those who were sitting in the pews were the biggest danger to the church. We are always on the lookout for the thief, the crook, the prostitute, but are the ones who pose the biggest danger to our spiritual being, sitting in the church with us? Are there members inside the church who are always complaining, always causing problems in one way or another? Are some people so righteous, that they turn people away from the Lord?

In the Bible, you will find that Jesus never judged anyone, not by race, not by status, not by deeds. He took compassion on those who others condemned, and he healed those who had been outcast. In James 4:12, it says, “But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?” There was a sign I saw on the internet that read, “You’re a temple, not a courtroom. Don’t judge.” In Sunday school, we followed along with this subject in talking about appearances. One lady remembered reading an article about how the people of a certain town looked down upon a woman who was always dirty and unkept. She went on to say that the article said the woman was saving pennies in order to buy a bar of soap. She had other needs to spend her money on, (family, food, etc.) and the bar of soap was a luxury. That is hard for me to understand, I have never been in her shoes, I cannot imagine how she gets through life.

I know I need help in this area. I know I need to extend more love and compassion, and less judgement. I know that to improve some peoples lives, you have to get a few fleas.

Have a blessed day.