I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT? (part-41)

I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT?

BEING JUDGMENTAL
Continuing with ‘the error of many believers who are being
judgmental’, James tells us there is only One qualified to judge.
    There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one
    who is able to save and destroy. But you—who
    are you to judge your neighbor? (James 4:12)

He tells us that the only One who should be judging is the One (God)
who can save and the One (God) who can destroy. Why would he tell
us that only God is qualified to judge? Because God sees all the things
about a person and He knows what’s going on in their lives.

He can also read the hearts of people and see their motives for
what they do or don’t do. God knows who we really are and
what ‘makes us tick’. He can view our entire life as a snapshot;
none of us can do that. We do not have His capabilities, so we
are not qualified to judge others.

God also is an impartial judge. We may consider ourselves impartial,
however our personal feelings are often involved in our opinions of
others. Judging others is often an indication of our own selfishness.
Why?
Because we feel that we have all the answers and we expect everyone
to conform to our way of thinking. When they don’t, we may resort
to name calling. In our selfishness, we use words such as “airhead”,
“idiot”, etc. The scriptures have much to say about the sinfulness of
selfishness. Being selfish is not a characteristic that God expects to
see in His Children (those who belong to Him).

Paul says that we falsely judge others
for doing the same things we are doing.
    You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment
    on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another,
    you are condemning yourself, because you who pass
    judgment do the same things. (Romans 2:1)

Someone has said that our greatest contempt for others comes
when we see them doing the same things that we do. This verse
seems to support that concept. Why would we have an such a
contempt for others who are doing the same things we do? It
could be that we are unhappy with our own actions and whenever
we see someone else doing the same things, it reminds us of our
own flaws.
    I worked with another person who was quick to point out how
    someone else was bragging all the time. Each time I mentioned
    that he was guilty of doing the same thing, he would vehemently
    deny it.

We should never forget that God is the ultimate Judge and whenever
we judge others, we are usurping His position. None of us can claim
to be God, so none of us should be judging others. It is as plain and
simple as that.

That doesn’t mean that we blindly accept everything from others as
honest and truthful. We should be careful in our trust of others.
Jesus says that we should examine the fruit and respond accordingly.
For instance, if someone is often bragging, lying, or exaggerating,
we should then they are probably not trustworthy, which means
we probably need to verify whatever they say before accepting it
as truth.
    A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
    and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
    (Matthew 7:18)

We are warned by Jesus that whenever we point out the faults of others,
people will notice our own faults. If we condemn others for their faults,
then people are likely to condemn us as well, especially if they see us
doing the same things.
    “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not
     condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive,
     and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:27)

        Jesus also tells us that if we expect to be forgiven, we need to be
        willing and active in forgiving others. Some say that forgiving
        means forgetting. That is probably impossible, but we can choose
        to avoid allowing it to become a part of any future conversations.

We have learned that uncontrolled selfish desires
can cause all kinds of problems in our lives, such as:
    – They can cause us to develop selfish pride.
    – They can create bitter envy.
    – They can lead to arguments, fights, and loss of friendships.
    – They can cause us to use prayer in the wrong way (to get what we want).
    – They can even cause us to leave prayer out of our life.
    – They can cause us to have a greater love for the world than we do for God.

So, what can we do to break free of these selfish desires? We can develop
an attitude of humility (which pleases God). When we are humble we can
depend on God’s grace to start transforming us and eliminating our
selfish attitude.

We also need to show genuine sorrow for our sins and stop judging
others – judgment is God’s responsibility. We need to submit
ourselves to God’s will, which gives us the ability to successfully
resist the devil’s temptations (including being judgmental).

Lastly, we need to develop a peaceful attitude and become peacemakers,
and not someone who stirs up strife and creates turmoil in the lives of
others (and possibly our own life too).

If we truly want to stop being selfish, we need to look for opportunities
to do things for others with no strings attached. When we inconvenience
ourselves for others, it means we are sacrificing something we want, or
planned to do so that we can attend to the needs of someone else.

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