Gods Rules for Judging Now I do not wish to imply that we should spend all of our time judging. Sometimes people judge when they have no business doing so. In John 7:24 Jesus tells us to judge RIGHTEOUS judgment. This can only be done by following the rules that God has established in His word. Here follow seven good rules from Scripture: Judge Scripturally Isaiah 8:20 says, To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Our standard is Gods word, not our feelings, our traditions, or our opinions. Right and wrong should always be determined by Gods word. Dont Judge When Gods Word Is Silent If Gods word is silent about a subject, then you may not have to judge at all. Dont rush to judgment on an issue when the Bible says very little or is silent about it. Dont make more of a matter than God makes of it. A good example of this is found in Colossians 2:16: Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: That is, these are not subjects of great importance today, so lets not make these great issues of judgment. Pray for Good Judgement Ability When Solomon received his kingdom he asked God to Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? (I Kings 3:9) James 1:5 says, If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. We should pray for good judgment ability. Dont Respect Persons Proverbs 24:23 says, These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. Treat all parties fairly without favoring anyone, such as family members or friends. A truly fair judge is blind and deaf to any outer influence. (Isa. 42:1, 19-21) Judge in Truth Do not judge another when you do not have all the relevant facts. Jeremiah 5:1 says, Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it. A true judge is one who seeks the truth. If you must judge, be sure and get all the facts. A Japanese proverb says to search seven times before you judge. Judge Mercifully Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:2: For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Youll reap what you sow (Gal. 6:7-8). If you are swift and harsh in judging others, then God will see to it that you receive the same from others. Has God not been very merciful to you, even though you deserved it not? Likewise, you should exercise mercy toward others. Dont Forget to Judge Yourself I Corinthians 11:30-31: For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. If you are a true Christian, then you belong to God. You are Gods child. If you refuse to judge and improve yourself as a child of God, then God will take it upon Himself to judge you. Many of the troubles that we face in life are nothing more than Gods way of judging us since we often neglect to judge ourselves. Wouldnt it be amazing if every Christian actually took time to judge themselves before judging anyone else? In Matthew 7:4-5, Jesus says, Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brothers eye. A good judge will not fail to judge himself.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 01:06:02 +0000