Journal Entry ~ 08/30/19
37 "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." - Luke 6:37-38
From the very beginning, from the moment sin entered the heart of man, we have been judging. It's the way of the world. We do it almost constantly. I pray spending a week in this verse will raise our awareness of just how much we judge. It is steeped deep into our culture and our mindset ~ we judge the person who cut us off in traffic, who stands in front of us in line, who parents in a restaurant, who fights in public, who voted for the other party, our co-workers, our family members, fellow church members, people on TV, immigrants, ethnic groups, poor people, rich people, LGBTQ...we judge constantly.
We think we're better than other people - we can do it better, we make better decisions, we care more, we're smarter, we're better dressed, we're kinder, we're friendlier, we're more Christian. It's constant when you start tuning in to your thoughts. And it's so wrong. Having been on the receiving end of some serious judgments - both from people who know me well like my family and co-workers, and from people who don't know my at all - it's painful. Little can get my blood boiling more than when someone says something about me or my motives that is not true. It hurts to be accused of being something that we're not. And what's at the core of those accusations? A feeling of superiority. I'm better than her/him/them.
We not only need to capture those thoughts, we need to recognize them for the sin they are and beg forgiveness. Praying God breaks us this week and helps us see our judgment for what it is...only then can He do the beautiful work of transformation in our hearts.
Press on ~ you are loved 💗
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