1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed (Romans 2:1-5, ESV).
Ever have those times when someone just looks at you and you know they have already summed you up in their minds. They have completely judged you according their standards or opinions of others. Perhaps, they have already disqualified you. Just wondering, do they judge themselves according to the same measure they judge you?
Far too often, we find ourselves looking through a window rather than a mirror. Honestly, it’s so much easier to pick out everyone else’ sin, faults, and failures, rather than confront our own. Yet if we’re honest, we find ourselves doing the very same things. In our mind, it’s easy to excuse our own sin, shortcomings, and failures. It’s easier to shift blame instead of taking responsibility. But realize, that’s not what God calls us to do. We are not to judge someone else and deem them unworthy of the call God has placed on their life from our limited human perspective! We are not to stand back and justify our own sin, while in our thoughts magnifying the sin of others. After all, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God! That sin that costs us and many others around us.
When we use Scripture as a window judging others, we’re missing the point. Scripture is a to be used as a mirror to measure against ourselves. Why a mirror? To lead us to repentance. If we continually sit back and claim God’s grace under the canopy of His kindness towards our self, but are unwilling to extend the same grace and kindness to another, we have just judged. Perhaps just judged that person as less than, not good enough, or unworthy of God’s kindness. More importantly when judging, we are in danger of exalting our self and possibly in a place of un-remorse for our own actions. The posture of un-remorse is the exact opposite of repentance.
Through His kindness and patience, we can look straight in the mirror and come to reality of our own sin, knowing Jesus paid for it on the cross. Having done that, we can come to Godly sorrow for our actions leading us to repentance. Repentance, the action of turning away from our sin.
Lord, thank You for Your kindness and patience towards us, even while we are yet sinners and fall short of Your glory. Lord I pray, we would take the time to search our own hearts. Would You reveal to us our sin and bring us to Godly sorrow leading us to repentance. Keep us from judging others. We may judge too harshly or too softly according to our standards and/or self preservation, especially since our judgment comes from a limited scope of human perspective. Only You Lord know the work You have begun, and the work You will carry to completion. Praise You for that! In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
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