Do not judge, or you too will be judged. —Matthew 7:1
Here is something always to remember about what we should know about those who judge us. There are three things: the first is that they do not have all of the evidence. We know that God is not finished with us yet in any case. In addition, they do not know everything, even in the area where they think that they are in a position to say this or that. They do not have all of the evidence, so they do not really know at the end of the day what they are talking about.
We also should remember that when anybody judges us, they have disobeyed Jesus. We are just not given permission by Jesus to judge anybody. And when anybody judges me, I know he has disobeyed Jesus.
The third thing is, the opinion people have of us is temporary. It is only a matter of time before they will change their tune; they will have to, eventually. Remember, however, that this works both ways. When you judge someone, you will be ill-informed, disobedient, and eventually judged by God.
The next time you are prepared to criticize another person, and you wonder why God does not deal with that person, I want you to ask yourself this question: Has not God been patient with me? Can you recall that time when you were not the perfect example and God continued to bless you? He supplied your needs, He helped you, He was with you, He answered prayer. Things were happening, and you can look back later and think, Oh, God was good to me; I didn’t deserve that. Always remember, maybe another person does not deserve it either, but God is being good to them just as He was being good to you.
Excerpted from When God Says “Well Done!” (Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 1993).
