John 3:17 NLT
God sent his
Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world
through him.
The
case is settled when it applies to Jesus.
He became a friend of sinners so that he could deal with sin in the most
proactive way. He takes sin, forgives
sin and forgets our sin. That makes
Jesus not a judge, no ones judge.
Since
Jesus is our example to follow. Far too
often when our lives are off center or not focused on Jesus we become a
judge. It may seem innocent, but easily
we become judge, jury and jailor when we look at the faults of the people we
deal with. That cannot be good.
If we
deal with people the way Jesus dealt with them, acceptance becomes our calling
card. It is my desire to err on the side
of grace. Loving people means that
acceptance is a big deal to us.
James 2:13 NLT
There will be
no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have
been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
Showing
mercy isn’t a natural thing to do. Well,
it is more natural for some people, yet it is an act of mercy to overlook the
points where most people get hung up.
Move on. By the same standard we
judge people we will be judged by God.
I’ve
accepted God’s forgiveness. Therefore, I
have to share that forgiveness with others.
What is it in our life that keeps us from seeing the good things that
God has carefully placed in the lives of people around us? It is self.
It is our wrong focus or wrong motives that sets us up as judge. Those things have to become something we deal
with.
Am I
acting more as a judge or as a friend?
If you cannot answer that with ease, it might be a good thing to ask the
people closest to you what their opinion is of you being more judge or
friend. Put away what makes us a judge. Put in place what makes us a friend.
Ephesians 4:31 NLT
Get rid of
all bitterness, rage, anger,
harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
Ephesians 4:32 NLT
Instead, be
kind to each other,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Accepting
and forgiving others is a choice we have to make. It begins with us accepting and forgiving
ourselves for the things we have done in the past. It begins with accepting what God has done
for us and allowing our lives to be a funnel for those awesome characteristics
of God to be experienced by the people around us.
Make
it a point this week to be less judge and more friend to all the people you
meet!
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