The sermon at our church this Sunday was all about judgment, based off of these verses...
If you judge other people, then you will find that you, too, are being judged. Indeed, you will be judged by the very standards to which you hold other people.
Why is it that you see the dust in your brother's or sister's eye, but you can't see what is in your own eye? Don't ignore the wooden plank in your eye, but criticize the speck of sawdust in your brother's eyelashes. That type of criticism and judgment is a sham! Remove the plank from your own eye, and then perhaps you will be able to see clearly how to help your brother flush out his sawdust.
Don't give precious things to dogs. Don't cast your pearls before swine. If you do, the pigs will trample the pearls with their little pigs' feet, and then they will turn back and attack you.Matthew 7:1-6 (The Voice)
There is a lot to digest in there and a lot of points were made in the sermon, but I want to focus on one area.
And that one area is this: We MUST avoid a self-righteous attitude.
And as women, I think we are the WORST OFFENDERS.
Yes, I am making a general statement, but I am going to back it up with some honest confession here.
How many times have I watched a mom fail to discipline her child the way I would have and judged her for not handling the situation the "right" way?
How often have I heard another mom talk about her favorite soap opera and wonder how she could watch that trash?
And how many times have I judged another mom for giving their child pop at such a young age?
Does the Bible tell us ONE WAY to raise our children other than to train them up in the Lord?
Is the 11th commandment "Thou shalt not watch soap operas?"
Does the Bible teach us to not give our children sugary drinks until age 5?
No, no and no.
And I can guarantee, the minute I stood there judging another mom for something like this, one of my children was probably running off to get in trouble and I was missing it because I was focused on someone else.
LOG IN MY EYE.
I cannot get this quote from the sermon out of my mind...
"Every time we judge, we push God off the throne and assume His position, when in reality, there are NO VACANCIES in the Trinity!"
Yikes. Now there is a word picture for you. And if I really think about it, I don't actually want that kind of power. I feel much better letting God handle that.
Now, some people will take the verse "Do not judge" to the extreme and spew that line only any chance they get.
No, we are not to judge people based on "extra-Biblical standards," but if you see a fellow believer falling into sin, we are not to sit by and be idle.
Our pastor referred to it as "Biblical evaluation." And the difference between judgment and Biblical evaluation is all about the heart.
Do you see a sister in Christ struggling in the area of gossip? Is your desire to help her and build her up in Christ? Then approach her about it. Do you want to point out her sin to make you feel better about yourself? Go to the Lord and get the plank out of your own eye.
Like I said, this is a lot to chew on, but it is worth the time. I see more and more women that are withdrawn from other women because they don't feel like they are "good enough." It is almost
always due to extra-Biblical standards that have been imposed upon them - either by themselves or by other women at some point in their life.
And those scars are hard to remove.
But not impossible. We serve a BIG God.
Women - let's provide empathy and support to one another. Share your failures and successes without jealousy or judgment. Pray for one another.
Know that it is a happier place to lean on one another and lift each other up than to push each other down - even if it is just in our own mind.
