January 24, 2025
Adrian Rogers
Scripture Passage: Matthew 7:1-6
It is in our nature to judge others and see how we measure up. We all have our tape measures and yardsticks, but in Matthew 7:1-6, Jesus says that a yardstick will become a boomerang.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matthew 7:1-2).
How you judge someone else is how you will be judged—it will all come back around. How do we avoid unhealthy judgment?
Before it became such a heated word, at its core, discrimination simply means evaluation. It is not unloving to call out sin. The Bible urges us to wisely discern what is good and bad. Judgment based on Scripture is considered righteous, but unloving, unmerciful judgment measured out of our own hearts and minds is wrong.
When we are tempted to play prosecuting attorney toward a fellow believer, we must remember: we don’t have the power to redeem anyone, so we don’t have the authority to condemn anyone either.
Often, our own iniquity will act as a filter through which we see everyone else. Our own self-righteousness makes us feel justified when we see someone else’s sin. But this will do more damage to our spiritual lives than we realize.
Adrian Rogers says, “It is the hypocritical that are hyper-critical.”
Our own insecurity will also cause us to judge others harshly, because we believe that if we can get others to look more like us, it will make us feel better.
We also judge out of ignorance, assuming we know enough about others to hold them to a certain standard. None of us is wise enough to judge another person; only God is all-knowing, so He alone is the Judge.
Where we judge others with insensitivity, our Lord is full of compassion. While we must know the difference between right and wrong and uphold that standard in our lives, we must choose to show mercy to those who fall short, because that is what we would want, ourselves.
If we show mercy to others, it will be shown to us.
Do you find yourself judging others harshly? Remember: how you measure others will be how you, yourself, are measured. Choose mercy today.
