I have been thinking about this subject a lot lately. Some good meaning friends and family members have repeatedly said, “I don’t judge,” or “Who am I to judge.” Of course some of them even quote Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” I understand what they are getting at. We surely shouldn’t be overly concerned about the toothpick in someone else’s eye, when we have a telephone pole sticking out of our own. But did God mean for us to just “be and let be?”
First we have to ask ourselves what our purpose in this life really is. One of our purposes for a born again believer, a follower of Christ, is to bring people into God’s family and help them grow and develop once they are accepted into the beloved. I think we can all agree about that. We want people to be healthy and happy. So now let’s take a look at a natural thing to shed some light on the spiritual. If you had a brother or sister who began to look unhealthy, for example their skin began to turn green and ooze with pus, would you ignore it and say, “I’m not in perfect health so how can I judge what color skin a healthy person should have,” or, “I’m not a doctor, who am I to judge.”
Ok, so that sounds a bit silly. Wouldn’t we all try our best to convince them that there is help and hope for their recovery! Now let’s flip that to the spiritual. You have a brother or sister who begins to slip, maybe even sin…Would you not want to point out to them that they are heading down the wrong road, that there is help and hope for them? We can’t get all holier than thou about judgment.
In a good message about spiritual warfare, by our Senior Pastor, William Hohman, he put it this way (more or less): conviction and condemnation feel the same. The difference is condemnation (or some would say judgment) says, “you are wrong, you are in sin, you are going down, you are bad and going to hell,” while conviction (Godly judgment) says, “you may be doing wrong, but turn from your sin and your life will be better, God still loves you and there is hope for you.” Can you see the difference? We don’t want to condemn people. That’s what Matthew 7:1 means. Even Jesus said he came not to condemn the world.
Our days left here are getting shorter. God loves everyone and want them all to belong to his family. In Luke 11:23, Jesus says, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me Scatters.” How can we help those who need Christ if we aren’t willing to tell them that they have a need? Can we generically tell people God is good, God is love but not say God is Holy, God is just? Sin is sin people. Turning our heads or hiding our eyes from wrong in someone’s life doesn’t help them.
They key is our motivation. If you just want to go around and tell people how to clean up their lives and not work on your own, then you are a Pharisee and Jesus told them they were whitewashed graves. Work at getting and keeping your own life right with God, but in Love and in Jesus name, tell people when they are wrong. I can’t help thinking about so many people that have fallen away because nobody wanted to confront their wrong thinking before it turned into wrong behavior. They won’t always listen, and you’ll hear “Don’t judge me,” more than you’ll want to, but somebody has to do it.
Next time someone tells you, “I don’t judge,” you can say, “Neither do I, but I do warn people about the road they are on, so that they can have better.”
More scriptures about judging (you can judge yourself if all judging is wrong):
John 7:24 “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
I Corinthians 6:1-5 “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world, and if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters. Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the Church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?
Acts 16:15 “and when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.
I Corinthians 5:1-3 “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the gentiles-that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has done this deed.
Tag Archives: future
Book Review for “Lifeboat”-Sci Fi
I was given a copy of “Lifeboat” by the author, A.B. Shepherd, in exchange for an honest review. I liked the story. It is told in the first person, through the eyes of mainly two people. The story kept my interest, wanting to see what happened next. The whole flavor reminded me of the old “Twilight Zone” series that I loved as a kid, they always left me thinking “what??” Overall a good read. I give the book 3 stars.
Book Review for “Land of the Unaltered”
I was given a copy of “Land of the Unaltered” by the author, Leti Del Mar, in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It is intended as a YA and is definitely suitable for pre-teens and up. The story is based on a dystopian society that is obsessed with looking perfect and they are constantly being “altered”, but there are those who are unaltered who want freedom. The story speaks volumes about our own obsession with looks. Great read. I give it 5 stars as a YA, 4 for adult. Looking forward to the next book as this is the first in a series.
End Days?
This was originally written for a family member several years ago that asked this question: What is your opinion of the days we are living in? And can you give me some scriptures. My Answer was: “I don’t just want to give you a bunch of scriptures to read that you may or may not understand. God says that unless you are from His Kingdom, you can’t understand His word. His Kingdom is His family, His Children. Everyone is not part of His family. Only those who have asked Jesus to come into their hearts and to be their Lord are His Children, He loves EVERYONE! But they are not all His. Believing in God isn’t enough to enter the Kingdom. The bible says that demons believe and tremble, but they are not His (and defiantly not part of His kingdom). So first I must ask if you have asked Jesus to be your Lord. You don’t have to do anything to earn it, just tell Him you need Him, that you are sorry for the wrong that you have done, against Him and others, and then simply ask Him for His love and forgiveness.
Now to answer the question, I do believe there isn’t too much time left on this earth. The Bible says that even Jesus doesn’t know the exact hour, but I believe we can know the “season”. By looking at everything that is going on in the world, I would have to say that we are in the season for Christ’s return. He will be coming back for His Family and we need to be ready. If it ends up being hundreds of days or hundreds of years, we live like He is coming NOW. There are literally hundreds of scriptures that talk about His return, the last days, and what will be happening in the end. I have chosen a few for you to read. Please look them up in the Bible and read the whole chapters. Some Bible’s have cross-references and they tell you where to look for the same subject. Some scriptures that talk about what will be going on in the world are: I Timothy 3:1, II Peter 3:3, Isaiah 9:2, Isaiah 58:10, and 60:2, Joel 2:31-32, Mica 7:8 Hebrews 1:2. It would benefit you to read the whole chapter of Matthew 24. My favorite “end times” verse is Revelation 3:10-12 “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.” Then to give you even more hope and security read all of Psalms 23 and Psalms 91! God will take care of those that are His! He loves us more than we love our own children! and more than our parents love us. I hope this was helpful. Just remember one thing, the world may be bad and scary, but God is GOOD!”
Review for “Deliverence”
I was given this book by the author, Ash Krafton, in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book. It tells the story of how simple faith is preferable to making things fit our expectations and desires. The people of Granite Clearing once gave their devotion to the “All-Father” but now have divided their God into dozens of separate “gods”. One man wants to put things right. My only complaint is that it was too short! Planning on reading more by this author. I recomend for teens and up. A great read. I give this book 5 stars.
Once a people devoted to the All-Father, the citizens of Granite Clearing have divided their God into dozens of separate aspects. His religion splintered almost beyond recognition, Thallon sets out on a pilgrimage to seek divine assistance. How can one old man change an entire religion torn asunder?