Title: How To Judge / Topic: Judging

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 23; Psalm 31; Psalm 54; Matthew 7

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-6
1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."

Observation and Application: It is quite common today to hear people quote the first part of verse 1: "You know the Bible says, 'don't judge!'" But that is only a part of what Jesus said here. In fact, while Jesus starts out by saying, "Do not judge," He ends us telling us that we should judge, we need to judge -- but in the right way! Let me list the points:
1) Hold yourself to the same standards that you expect of others. The old saying, "do as I say, not as I do" doesn't cut it. This message is in verses 2, 3, 4, and 5.
2) Deal with your own stuff first. Most people can see the little things in others while they ignore big problems of their own. And the illustration Jesus uses here is hilarious. One guy has a tiny speck of sawdust in his eye and this other guy is trying to pull it out but he has a big honkin' log hanging out of his eye. Yeah! It's quite a picture. This is in verses 3,4, and 5.
3) Help the other guy. Jesus clearly says that once we have worked out our own issues, we need to deal with our friend. But not as a condemning prosecutor. No, we need to help as a brother. Judgment is observation with value applied. I want my brothers and sisters to observe me and apply our shared values to what they observe. Where I am inconsistent, I want to know it so I can fix it.
4) Don't bother with people who don't want to change. Jesus calls these people dogs and pigs. This is a little brutal but it's true. I have met quite a few of this type of person. All my attempts to help such people have done no good and have caused me a lot of grief. Jesus was right. You have to have discretion and discernment in whom you bless with your value observations. In other words, even when you are judging rightly with helpful motives, be careful.

Prayer: Lord, make us better in the way we help others. May we have eyes to see our own issues, and hearts to fix our brokenness. Give us keys to make breakthroughs in our tough areas. And give us wisdom and skill in helping others to receive as we judge rightly. Help us all to be more like You every day.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.