Think of the last time someone judged you. Was it a positive or negative experience? Now, think of the last time you judged someone else. What was the basis for that judgment? Who developed the rating scale that you used? Was it created by the world or made in alignment with Scripture?
God does not tell us not to be observant. Scripture does not tell us that we will not have to make decisions. There is an element of judging that happens as we walk through life. Imagine hiring an employee, a babysitter, or even a dog walker and not making any judgment about them. Can you see the potential disaster that could happen?
There is a fine line that we cross when we begin to judge the heart by outward appearances. The mighty prophet Samuel modeled this when we went to visit the family of Jesse to anoint the next king of Israel. He noticed the one that fit his list, and God had to remind him that His list or judgment is vastly different.<1>.
Do you struggle with judging others? It is incredible how quickly a judgmental attitude can come sneaking into our opinions of others. This season is particularly fraught with judgments. The funny thing is that we make the judgments and back them with earthly logic that can sound good.
Depending on your upbringing, culture, belief system, and experience, you may judge according to:
· Skin color
· Economic Status
· Educational Status
· Their physique
· Etc.
When we strip everything away, we are sizing them up and comparing them to ourselves. We will either rise above the one we are judging in our thoughts or fall below. However, we are looking to grade ourselves as being superior in the area we are judging.
When I go into Scripture and truly look at people's stories, I see numerous types of people who we would have disqualified from church leadership due to issues such as:
· Adulterer
· Murderer
· Liar
· Doubter
· Women
· And more
Imagine if we could fully see from God's perspective. How would things look if we separated those who will become mighty men and women of God and have a victory from those who choose sin as their destiny? To do this, we must live and think by God's standards.
Stop judging based on the superficial. First, you must embrace the standards of mercy and truth.<2>
How do we get there? Jesus makes it clear that the greatest commandment is to love Him. The second is to love our neighbor as ourselves<3>. If our focus is on the Lord, we are spending time in the word, worship, and in prayer, our perception will begin to align with His. When we operate from a higher perspective, we do not become an obstacle to destiny; instead, we will call them into it. We will not judge by worldly standards, but rather, we will evaluate using Heaven's scale. It does not mean that if we disagree that we do not love them. It means that we love so well that we introduce the individual to their destiny and the God who created them.
<1> See 1 Samuel 16
<2> John 7:24. The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018, 2020 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved. thePassionTranslation.com
<3> See Matthew 22:36-40
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