REPLACING CRITICISM AND CONDEMNATION
WITH LOVE AND ENCOURAGEMENT
BIBLE PASSAGE:
The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming”
(who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all
things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled
that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do
You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” The
woman then left her water pot, went her way into the city,
and said to the men, “Come, and see a Man who told me
all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then
they went out of the city and came to Him”
(John 4: 25-30)
MEDITATION:
As Christians, if we aren’t careful, we can fall into a bad habit of
criticizing others. We can become especially nit-picky about sinful
actions that we don’t struggle with ourselves. Too often, when we
criticize someone in one area (or more), it can spill over and cause
us to start finding other faults with the person.
If the failure of another person has an impact on a specific believer,
he or she may take it personally, and it can create or increase their
contempt for the other person who has stumbled. Even worse than
criticism, some Christians are guilty of condemning others for their
failures. Since the goal of every believer is to become more like Jesus,
we need to study His habits and responses when He sees failures in
others.
In the scriptures, we see Jesus ministering to a woman who was living
with someone who was not her husband (she also had five marriages
in the past). So how did Jesus react to her failures? We don’t see Jesus
condemning her; instead, we see Him not only reaching out to her in
a loving way, but He also reached out to an entire city through her.
Jesus had the wisdom to know that He could not reach anyone by
offending them (and neither can we). We should never compromise
the gospel or our walk with Christ, but at the same time, we should
reach out in love if we expect to see changes in the hearts and lives
of others. When we offend others, we should realize that we are
hindering the work of the Spirit of God.
We should also remember how others had an impact on our own lives.
It wasn’t through criticism or condemnation, was it? Neither of these
can contribute to encouraging others, nor will they express our love
for someone and our concern about or someone their relationship
with the Lord. The truth is, constant criticism will chip away at our
relationships with others.
When we read God’s Word, we see Jesus Him in many situations.
He dealt with a woman caught in adultery, He dealt with people
who were blind and/or deaf, and He raised people from the dead.
When we look closer, we can see that He always reached them from
a position of love, and not condemnation.
ACTION:
Are you guilty of criticizing or condemning others for their failures?
If someone’s failure affects you personally, do you have contempt for
them? Do you allow your disappointment in them cause you to start
criticizing them frequently about other things?
Do you realize that when we are critical of others, we are guilty of
being judgmental? The scriptures say that when we are judgmental,
we are usurping God’s position as the One, and the only One who is
capable of judging anyone fairly.
We should never allow our personal feelings and pride control our
emotions and actions. If we do, we won’t be an encouragement to
anyone who has “fallen”; instead, we will make them feel even worse
about their failures. This type of attitude will never come close to the
type of love Jesus showed to others, and the love He has shown to you
and me.
Our goal is to build others up and not to tear them down even more,
regardless of how they may have hurt or offended us personally. We
don’t have the responsibility of punishing them for their actions; any
punishment is to be determined by God, and not us.
As you go through life, it is probably inevitable that someone will offend
you, or hurt your feelings. Don’t wait until it happens to react, but plan
now for those times before they happen. Will you let love rule your
emotions, or will anger and pride control your response to what they
have done? How did Jesus respond? He is the example we are to follow.
If you are a Christian, you are one of God’s servants.
You are His eyes, lips, feet, and hands. You might be
the only gospel, and glimpse of Jesus, that others may
ever see.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the love You and Your Son,
Jesus, have shown me. Help me to develop that kind of love
for others. Forgive me for any efforts to lash out in an effort
to hurt those who have hurt or offended me. Teach me how to
replace my hurt feelings and anger, with a love that encourages
rather than tears down others. Give me a sensitivity to use any
bad circumstances as opportunities to show love, to encourage
others, to avoid criticizing and condemning them, and to point
them to Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for not condemning me,
but instead, offering me the opportunity to have my failures
forgiven. Thank You for giving me a new and exciting purpose
for living. I give You all the praise for how You have blessed me.
Help me to be prepared and to look for opportunities to bless
others, and never forget that I have failures in my own life too.”
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