Overcoming Tendencies to Judge
What are the problems with trying to play the role of a judge over others?
Illustration:Angry cynical people die young. Men who score high for hostility on standard tests are four times more likely to die prematurely than men whose scores are low.
Bottom Line, quoted in Homemade, February 1989.
1. Realize that in the way you judge or criticize others, God will hold you to the same standard. Jesus said, "Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" (Matt. 7:1-3)
Illustration: "One of the greatest weaknesses of Christians is to condemn the whole personality just for one small action that we happen to disapprove of. In our Christian churches we are experts at generalization. All we need is to hear a brother say an unnecessary word to brand him as foolish. We see a mother lose her temper once and we call her the most bad-tempered woman on earth. A friend fails to greet us just once and we classify him as unfriendly. We enter a restaurant and happen to see a preacher who is faithful to the Word of God eating with a liberal, and we immediately conclude that the man of God is a liberal, too, and that is the kind of company he habitually keeps, without stopping to think that his effort may have been to win a soul to Christ..."
(End of comment from Zodhiates’ Commentary)
2. Be careful how you speak in a judgmental manner. Jesus said, ’I will judge you by your own words..." (Luke 19:22) Ask God’s help in controlling your tongue.
3. Only God is in a position to judge people with complete knowledge and objectivity. The writer of Hebrews wrote, "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. (Heb. 9:27) Only God possesses all the facts.
4. The Lord is the only one able to judge the secrets of every person. Paul wrote, "This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ."Rm. 2:16 Ask God’s help in overcoming sins of disposition - bad attitudes
5. Avoid the tendency to judge people who are less spiritually mature. Paul wrote, "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables." (Rom. 14:1,2) Let the Spirit direct your conscience.
6. Recognize that each person will give account on the basis of their heavenly master’s score sheet not on mere human evaluations. Paul wrote, "Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Rom. 14:4)
7. Avoid any tendency to judge non-Christians who yet to receive Christ as their Savior. Paul wrote, "What business is it of mine to judge those outside of the church? Are you not to judge those inside of the church? God will judge those outside. ’Expel the wicked man from among you." (I Cor. 5:12,13)
8. Practice self-evaluations to improve your awareness of God’s standards of holiness and truth. Paul wrote, "But if we judge ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When the Lord judges us, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world." (I Cor. 11:31,32)
9. Do not be bothered by other people’s judgments - do not even come down too hard on yourself. Paul wrote, "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore, judge nothing before the appointed time: wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." (I Cor. 4:3-5)
10.In the end, God will judge everyone fairly, objectively and completely. Paul wrote, "For each man will give an account of himself to God." (Rom. 14: 12)
Conclusion:A lady once came to Billy Sunday and tried to rationalize her angry outbursts. "There’s nothing wrong with losing my temper," she said. "I blow up, and then it’s all over."
"So does a shotgun," Sunday replied, "and look at the damage it leaves behind!"
Billy Sunday.
