Why do you look
at 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,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? Matthew 7:3-4
You can judge methods, but you cannot judge motives until
they are confessed. You can judge what a
person does, but you cannot judge why a person does it.
- To try to protect others – to warn of their behavior
- Sometimes we judge others to justify sin and shortcomings in our own life
- To look better than others
- To seem important or powerful; to impress others with what we know - People will gossip about other people’s misery to enlarge their own worth.
- To gain an advantage over someone - Care and concern can very quickly turn into something very wrong when power and position become involved. It becomes about controlling people rather than being concerned about their lives and how the decisions they make will affect their lives.
Why Guard Against Judging?
- Because we don’t know all the facts - When we try to judge the heart and motives of another we are overstepping the boundaries of God. Again, God sees the heart, we do not. Instead of looking at the fruit we take it upon ourselves to pull at the root, and we miss it! “I’ve heard all I need to”, you’ll hear them say, because to further look into the other side of the situation would risk them not being able to judge negatively!
- Because we are fallen - "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?" (v.3) None of us are perfect. No matter how much you think you know the heart of somebody else, you don't. You don't even know your own heart. Generally when you criticize another person's fault, his fault is just a chip off of your block.
- Because what goes around comes around - "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you." v.2 The person who forms a noose of judgment for another person had better be careful; he might find his own neck in the knot. The truth is, what you think of others is may be what others think of you.
I dreamed death
came the other night, and Heaven's gates swung wide;
With kindly grace an angel came and ushered me inside;
And there to my astonishment stood folks I had known on earth;
Some I had judged and labeled as unfit or of little worth;
Indignant words rose to my lips, but never were set free;
For every face showed stunned surprise; Not one expected me!
With kindly grace an angel came and ushered me inside;
And there to my astonishment stood folks I had known on earth;
Some I had judged and labeled as unfit or of little worth;
Indignant words rose to my lips, but never were set free;
For every face showed stunned surprise; Not one expected me!
- Because of the Log Jam in our eyes –
Log of
Spiritual Pride – What we
know causes us to believe we are authorities. Evangelist Jonathan Edwards said, “One under the influence of spiritual pride
is more apt to instruct others than to ask questions. Such a person naturally puts on the airs of a
master.” -
Log of
Perspective – From only your perspective you cannot know the whole. You
saw two plus one plus a half and another half and came up with four because
that’s what you would have done if you had those numbers.
Log of
Personal Prejudice – You
jumped to judge because you know how people like “them” are. There are no people like “them.”
Log of
Premeditated Purpose – We think we know why they did it.
One of the best quotes to
remind us of how small we are when we judge is, "Great people talk about
ideas. Average people talk about events. Small people talk about other
people." Anon Let’s commit
to being those who seek to understand and lift people up today.
Scripture to Claim:
Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. For
if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Galatians 6:2-3
