Before I Judge, Listen in Love

In John 7:51 I read, “According to our Law we cannot condemn people before hearing them and finding out what they have done.” (GNT)

It’s hard to be judgmental when I’m trying to listen with compassion, honesty, sincerity, and fairness. James 1:19 says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (NIV). Listen first before I judge.

One time the Pharisees were trying to judge Jesus without letting him have a say or explain himself. They didn’t want to hear his side of the story. But Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees, spoke up and said, “According to our Law we cannot condemn people before hearing them and finding out what they have done” (John 7:51 GNT).

How many times have I judged someone, my child, my spouse, my neighbor, my enemy, without listening to their story first? Have I treated someone the same way the Pharisees treated Jesus?

When I feel the urge to judge someone, stop and take a breath. Hold that breath if I need to, if that’s what it takes for me to listen before I speak! If I don’t listen first, I am committing the sin of judging others.

Do I think something needs to come to light in someone’s life? That thing probably is not mine to expose. Let God take care of it. My job is to listen first. Try to understand before judging someone’s struggle.

Jesus said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:1-2 NIV).

Do to others as I would have them do to me. Listen in love, and let God be the judge.

In summary, I should not condemn people before hearing them and finding out what they have done. It will be hard to be judgmental when I’m trying to listen with compassion, honesty, sincerity, and fairness. So I need to listen first before judging. Have I treated someone the same way the Pharisees treated Jesus? When I feel the urge to judge, stop and take a breath. Then listen before I speak! If I don’t, I am committing the sin of judging others. My job is to listen first. Try to understand before judging someone’s struggle. Do to others as I would have them do to me. Listen in love, and let God be the judge.

 

Reminding Myself of God’s Grace and Learning To Relax In It

In review of Philippians 3:9 it reminds me that, “I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith” (NLT).

No amount of law keeping, self-improvement, discipline, or religious effort can make me right with God. Righteousness comes only from God, and I am made righteous (receive right standing with him) by trusting in Christ. He exchanges my sins and shortcomings for his complete righteousness. Paul gave up everything in order to know Christ and his resurrection power. I, too, have access to this same knowledge and power, but I will need to make sacrifices to enjoy it fully. So, what am I willing to give up in order to know Christ? A crowded schedule in order to set aside a few minutes each day for prayer and Bible study? Other’s approvals? Some of my plans and pleasures? Whatever it may be, knowing Christ is more than worth the sacrifice. 

Legalism will rob me of happiness. It’s the attitude that I have to prove my love to God, which means I have to make sure I do everything exactly right. It’s thinking I have to follow rules and regulations and restrictions in order to prove myself worthy. One of the consequences of being legalistic is that I then force the same expectations on others, thinking they also have to prove their worth to God.

Legalism will suck my your life dry of happiness. It sucks churches dry of happiness. Everybody’s just there out of duty or guilt.

How do you know when I’m being legalistic? It’s when I’m judgmental of other people. How do you know when I’m living by grace? It’s when I’m gracious to others. Those who live by grace often find it easier to forgive because they recognize that God continues to forgive them.

I’m told that when I finally realize there’s nothing I can do to make God love me more, it is one of the most liberating feelings in the world. And it is a key to happiness. Every day, I should remind myself of God’s grace, and then relax in it.

In summary, I can't count on my own righteousness through just obeying the law, rather I become righteous through faith in Christ. God's way of making me right with him depends on faith. Nothing I do can make me righteous. It only comes from God by my trusting in Christ. For he'll exchange my sins and shortcomings for his complete righteousness. I must however make sacrifices to enjoy it fully. I need to give up things in order to know Christ. Legalism will such my life dry of happiness. I'm being legalistic when I'm judgmental of others.  I need to practice graciousness to others. Those who live by grace often find it easier to forgive because they recognize that God continues to forgive them. I need to realize there is nothing I can do to make God love me more. It is a key to happiness. I need to remind myself of God's grace, and then relax in it.

Even though I trust in God’s grace, I still find myself forgetting this and getting caught up in what’s happening in life and the feeling of being pushed more activities than are possible. I need to remind myself what Christ has done for me and realize that I am helpless to save myself. Today’s devotional also reminds me that when I feel that others are against me, that I need to learn to practice grace with them. I pray this morning Father that your Spirit reminds me of your grace you provide and how I in turn should practice grace to others. I ask you for your wisdom and guidance for my day, my leadership and my interactions with others. I ask this through your Son Jesus name.

I Am To Do My Own Work Well, And Never Compare

In review of Galatians 6:4 it says, “Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others.”

Bottom Line:

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.

What this means to me:

I am to do my own work well, judging only my own conduct and actions, then if it is good, I can be proud and have satisfaction with the work I have done, never needing to compare it with what someone else has done. I’m learning that the enemy will try to steal my joy of service in two ways: first by tempting me to compare my ministry with others and secondly by tempting me to conform my ministry to the expectations of others. Both are deadly traps that will ultimately distract me from serving in the ways God intended. This verse warns me to never compare myself with others: “Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others” (Galatians 6:4 CEV). There are two reasons why I should never compare my SHAPE, my ministry, or the results of my ministry with anyone else: First, I will always be able to find someone who seems to be doing a better job than me, and I will become discouraged. Secondly, I will always be able to find someone who doesn’t seem as effective as me and likely become full of pride. Either attitude will take me out of service and rob me of my joy. Paul said it is foolish to compare ourselves with others. He said, “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise” (2 Corinthians 10:12 NIV). The Message paraphrase version explains it as, “In all this comparing and grading and competing, they quite miss the point” (2 Corinthians 10:12b). I believe I will always find people who do not understand my shape for ministry, they will criticize me and try to get me to conform to what they think I should be doing. I need to just Ignore them! Paul often had to deal with critics who misunderstood and maligned his service. His response was always the same: Avoid comparisons, resist exaggerations, and seek only God’s commendation. One of the reasons Paul was used so greatly by God was that he refused to be distracted by criticism or by comparing his ministry with others or by being drawn into fruitless debates about his ministry. Whenever I feel that my ministry is slow moving or taking a long time to bear fruit, I’ll ask God for perseverance and for the wisdom to stay on focus with what God wants me to do.