Did you know that God has given us a "Get out of Judgement Free!" card? Quite clearly He said that if you don't judge others, you will not be judged. So, how are we judging others? When we look at someone, listen to someone, watch someone, and then in our heart, our internal reasoning center, we decide (we choose) that because of what we have heard, seen, observed, that the individual is an undesirable character in some way. We usually do not think this through, or allow the reasoning process into our conscious mind which would force us to acknowledge that we are making a judgement.
For example: if i am responsible for hiring an individual for a specific position, i read their resume, and if it seems like a possible fit, i interview the person. If in the interview process, i observe something about the person, or something they say leads me to believe that they would not be a good fit, i choose not to hire them. That's ok, as long as i don't denigrate the person in my heart. He just didn't fit the needs of the company.
Unfortunately, we seldom leave it at that. Usually, it's a more commonplace meeting, with someone we do not know or someone we have heard about already from someone else, or someone we have observed existentially that causes us to be prejudiced before we know the individual. Consider, for example, the shy person. Being shy, she seldom approaches anyone other than those she knows well. Others, new to her acquaintance, observe her avoidance and automatically assume she is "stuck-up" and the talk begins about her thinking she is so much better than everyone else.
If you have read Scripture, you have read the verses in Matthew 7:1-3, Luke 6:37, John 7:24. They speak to our making judgements of others. There are so few good reasons to make a judgement of others, and yet, we do it every day.
Stop making judgements of others, and YOU will NOT be judged by God! Apologize to God now, while you are alive in this life. Ask His forgiveness for judging others. Then purpose in your heart, in your internal reasoning center, to not judge others for any reason. You have no way of knowing them (as God does), no way of seeing their heart (as God does).
Here is your own Get out of Judgement Free card. Hang a copy on all your mirrors.:
1"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2"For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3"Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Matthew 7:1-3 (NIV)
