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
One of the ways "to judge" is to form an opinion after careful consideration or thought. While not always true, most of the time Christians are very quick to pass judgment on others' situations or circumstances. Most of the time, we voice our opinions just as quickly as we form them. Today's devotional Scripture covers this very thing.
Sometimes we think we have all the answers, girls. Some of the most loving Christians can sometimes be the most judgmental. It is part of our sin nature, to be sure. We are not naturally given to considering the behind-the-scenes story, are we? And, girls, everyone has a story. The young lady you pass in the hallway every morning...the one who seems to be very promiscuous with all the guys? She might have been molested or sexually assaulted. The guy who sits near you in first period math class...the one who walks around like he's ALL THAT? He may be acting that way to hide the pain of being rejected by his parents for so long. The lady you see at church who seems to always bite people's heads off? What if she was beaten and abused as a child and learned to be hard and callous to keep from facing her private pain? You see, girls, we all have a story. I don't mean to justify sin, for truly there is no justification in God's eyes. But, that's the thing, it is in GOD'S EYES, not our own.
Sometimes we think we have all the answers, girls. Some of the most loving Christians can sometimes be the most judgmental. It is part of our sin nature, to be sure. We are not naturally given to considering the behind-the-scenes story, are we? And, girls, everyone has a story. The young lady you pass in the hallway every morning...the one who seems to be very promiscuous with all the guys? She might have been molested or sexually assaulted. The guy who sits near you in first period math class...the one who walks around like he's ALL THAT? He may be acting that way to hide the pain of being rejected by his parents for so long. The lady you see at church who seems to always bite people's heads off? What if she was beaten and abused as a child and learned to be hard and callous to keep from facing her private pain? You see, girls, we all have a story. I don't mean to justify sin, for truly there is no justification in God's eyes. But, that's the thing, it is in GOD'S EYES, not our own.
The truth is that we all come to places in our lives when we need to know that we are not judged by our Christian brothers and sisters. I don't mean that we are not accountable for our actions,. But since we all have our own issues that we struggle with, doesn't it stand to reason that we extend the acceptance that we would want extended to us?
Scripture Reading for the Day:
Proverbs 22
Matthew 7
I never thought of that.. but it is so true. Everybody does have a story, and I intend to be mindful of that.
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