Judge not, that you be not Judged

Matthew 7:1-4

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”

Judge not, but I do, and I wonder do you also?  Have you ever wondered why we put on the black robes of the judge in our heart and mind, could it be that we never stood in front of the mirror of self examination, or could it be that our time spent with the Father is so short that our prayer life and time in the Bible is so brief that we have a wrong impression of mankind.  The Bible tells us you are more important than a bird that does not sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them?  It is simple because God has so stated, and who are we to devalue what God has placed such great value?

It has come to my understanding that when I believe that Jesus tells the truth; He is Truth, then and only then will my value of others come into agreement with the Father.  Have you given consideration to what Jesus has said about the final judgment in Matthew 25:21-46, if not lets spend sometime there.  Picking up the story in verse 34-40, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

I have often taught young men that it is impossible to pray God’s best for a young lady and at the same time lust in your heart for her.  Is not the same thing true if you are asking Jesus to allow you to see people as who they would be if the sins that kept them separated from His grace were removed?  Would you not then have a desire to pray that the Father would allow you to be part of His great plan for them?  If not, how big is the log in your eye, and has not the Truth judged correctly, when He calls us hypocrite?

We are free because of grace and our mirror should reflect the image of Christ living His life in us.  So what should we see in that mirror, what does a grace person look like?  Jesus gave us a profile of a person walking in grace in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”  As followers of Christ we understand that we have an exchanged life, Christ in us the hope of glory.  A religious person walks in a world of rules and tradition, and when told about Jesus they tell the Philips’ of this world the following: “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”  Nathanael asked.  “Come and see,” said Philip.” (John 1:46)  Philip was not a judge, but a light, and that light was all that Nathanael needed to find Jesus.  Jesus tells us we are light, unless we choose not to be.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice