I judge. I really do. It's hard for me to admit that because judging has been judged so severely.
Just the other day I was reading about Adolf Hitler... I must admit that I immediately made a judgment that He had committed evil deeds.
I remember hearing on 9/11 about a man named Osama Bin Laden who had masterminded the plan. I made another judgment.
My judgments are frequent. I watched Dylann Roof walk into the courthouse with a bullet proof vest after having killed nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. I judged that the act was a sinful thing.
On a recent vacation to Missouri I stopped in St Louis and went through the old court house reading about the Supreme Court Case of Dred Scott v Sanford. I found that, although I was on vacation I made a judgment. And it was totally different than what the Supreme Court decided in their 7-2 decision.
A more recent Supreme Court case was decided in 1973 when the high court legalized infanticide by a 7-2 decision in Roe v Wade. It didn't take me long to make a judgment that killing an unborn child was an evil thing. I made that judgment quickly.
Not too long ago I heard about a man who left his wife for another woman. He abandoned his two children and wife by breaking a covenant that he had made. He chose sexual pleasure over faithfulness to his responsibilities and his own word of honor. I made another judgment.
I must be judgmental.
Be careful though, because you wouldn't want to be guilty of the same thing as I am... judging. Don't judge me for judging.
I have come to realize that I am not alone in making judgments. In fact there are many who have made and even still do make judgments that are completely different than mine. They my be different, but the are still judging. For example, there are literally millions of people who have made the judgment that what Osama Bin Laden did in planning 9/11 was heroic. That is their judgment and it is different than mine.
The Supreme Court Case of Dred Scott v Sanford was eventually judged wrong, but there are many people who are making judgments, though no doubt unaware of the history, that are in line with the majority opinion of the Dred Scott case even today. We call it racism. Or we judge it to be racism. I judge racism as a wicked thing.
In the case of the man who abandoned his family for temporal pleasure there were even those who differed from me in their judgment claiming that he had a right to fulfil his sexual desire. They said his adultery was good because it brought him "happiness." (Although it only brought pain, disappointment, financial ruin, and heart ache to those he abandoned... no happiness there.) They judge differently than I.
So I started wondering who judged with right judgments? I mean someone has to be right and someone has to be wrong. Or are you judging me as someone who sees things in black and white?
Maybe a more appropriate question is this: With what authority do you make judgments?
Something guides your judgments. It may be small and it may be foolish or it may be huge and full of truth, but something influences the perspective that you have. It might be the ACLU's statement of values. It might be your favorite Fox News commentator. It might be the lead singer of your favorite band. It could be your parents, your high school biology teacher, your psychology professor in college, your pastor, or even that cranky neighbor. I have met several lately who based their judgments upon a fictional book called "The Da Vinci Code." Don't judge.
I have decided that I am not really worthy of discerning issues of right and wrong or wisdom and foolishness. I must concede such things to someone that is higher than I. That is why I have decided to base my judgments upon what God says. Obviously that is not an original idea and it has not been claimed without a fair dose of abuse and falsehood. In fact, there are a whole lot of people who claim the name of Christ by calling themselves Christians who do not really care what Christ has to say. They are more concerned about the judgments made by their boss at work or a tweet by the office of the president. Their judgments are more influenced by Facebook than The Book.
Then Jesus speaks into the thick and often loud discourse of those voices which vie for influence over your own judging with the divine truth inherent in each word: "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." (John 7:24)
Could I be wrong? That's for you to judge. Could God be wrong? No. And His truth is available to you today. You can ignore it or you can embrace. But you still have to answer this question: What is your moral judgment based on?
"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) Meanwhile, remember that we will all be judged by the same standard. Holiness. So you might say: "Who are you to judge me?" And He will respond on that day: "I am God."
Just the other day I was reading about Adolf Hitler... I must admit that I immediately made a judgment that He had committed evil deeds.
I remember hearing on 9/11 about a man named Osama Bin Laden who had masterminded the plan. I made another judgment.
My judgments are frequent. I watched Dylann Roof walk into the courthouse with a bullet proof vest after having killed nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. I judged that the act was a sinful thing.
On a recent vacation to Missouri I stopped in St Louis and went through the old court house reading about the Supreme Court Case of Dred Scott v Sanford. I found that, although I was on vacation I made a judgment. And it was totally different than what the Supreme Court decided in their 7-2 decision.
A more recent Supreme Court case was decided in 1973 when the high court legalized infanticide by a 7-2 decision in Roe v Wade. It didn't take me long to make a judgment that killing an unborn child was an evil thing. I made that judgment quickly.
Not too long ago I heard about a man who left his wife for another woman. He abandoned his two children and wife by breaking a covenant that he had made. He chose sexual pleasure over faithfulness to his responsibilities and his own word of honor. I made another judgment.
I must be judgmental.
Be careful though, because you wouldn't want to be guilty of the same thing as I am... judging. Don't judge me for judging.
I have come to realize that I am not alone in making judgments. In fact there are many who have made and even still do make judgments that are completely different than mine. They my be different, but the are still judging. For example, there are literally millions of people who have made the judgment that what Osama Bin Laden did in planning 9/11 was heroic. That is their judgment and it is different than mine.
The Supreme Court Case of Dred Scott v Sanford was eventually judged wrong, but there are many people who are making judgments, though no doubt unaware of the history, that are in line with the majority opinion of the Dred Scott case even today. We call it racism. Or we judge it to be racism. I judge racism as a wicked thing.
In the case of the man who abandoned his family for temporal pleasure there were even those who differed from me in their judgment claiming that he had a right to fulfil his sexual desire. They said his adultery was good because it brought him "happiness." (Although it only brought pain, disappointment, financial ruin, and heart ache to those he abandoned... no happiness there.) They judge differently than I.
So I started wondering who judged with right judgments? I mean someone has to be right and someone has to be wrong. Or are you judging me as someone who sees things in black and white?
Maybe a more appropriate question is this: With what authority do you make judgments?
Something guides your judgments. It may be small and it may be foolish or it may be huge and full of truth, but something influences the perspective that you have. It might be the ACLU's statement of values. It might be your favorite Fox News commentator. It might be the lead singer of your favorite band. It could be your parents, your high school biology teacher, your psychology professor in college, your pastor, or even that cranky neighbor. I have met several lately who based their judgments upon a fictional book called "The Da Vinci Code." Don't judge.
I have decided that I am not really worthy of discerning issues of right and wrong or wisdom and foolishness. I must concede such things to someone that is higher than I. That is why I have decided to base my judgments upon what God says. Obviously that is not an original idea and it has not been claimed without a fair dose of abuse and falsehood. In fact, there are a whole lot of people who claim the name of Christ by calling themselves Christians who do not really care what Christ has to say. They are more concerned about the judgments made by their boss at work or a tweet by the office of the president. Their judgments are more influenced by Facebook than The Book.
Then Jesus speaks into the thick and often loud discourse of those voices which vie for influence over your own judging with the divine truth inherent in each word: "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." (John 7:24)
Could I be wrong? That's for you to judge. Could God be wrong? No. And His truth is available to you today. You can ignore it or you can embrace. But you still have to answer this question: What is your moral judgment based on?
"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) Meanwhile, remember that we will all be judged by the same standard. Holiness. So you might say: "Who are you to judge me?" And He will respond on that day: "I am God."