Is It Fair To Say...
Wednesday's Devotion (2-6-08)
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." Matthew 7:1-2 (KJV)
If you don't want to be judged then there's one thing you can do, don't judge others. Sounds simple enough... Actually no, it doesn't even sound simple to me. It sounds like what it is, very difficult. You don't even have to speak to judge people, you can be judging people in your mind. You see a heavy person and you automatically think, "They must eat A LOT!" Both my mother and my mother-in-law are heavy, but the funny thing is that neither of them really eat much at all. People think that they use thyroid problems as an excuse for their weight, but I have lived with both of them and trust me... They don't eat a lot. With that in mind, is it fair that we judge like that? Is it fair that we assume they over-eat? Is it fair that we're judging the book by it's cover? This by far doesn't just go for the obese, people judge everyone by appearance. I look young and when I go into stores that don't know me, they look at me like I'm going to steal something. They keep their eyes peeled on me. Is that fair judgment just because I'm young? I don't think so, every store in my area that knows me doesn't even worry about me.
The next question I'm going to ask is that if we judge unfairly, can we expect to be judged fairly? If you think I'm going to steal something because I look young, would it be fair for me to assume that you can't hear what I'm saying because you're older and might be deaf? Or maybe it would be unfair if an obese person said that a skinny person "must've been starved by their parents?" I think you get the point, it's not fair to pass judgment on other people. We don't know what they've been through, or what they're going through. If we judge people then we're going to be judged harshly both in this world and when God judges us. We ALL have flaws, but if we're merciful towards others with theirs then we'll find mercy in return. If we judge them, then we'll find judgment in return.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this message and for all things. Please forgive us of all our sins as we forgive all those who've sinned against us. Please help us not to pass judgment on others and for us to be merciful towards others. In Jesus name. A-men!
God bless!