Read Matthew 7:1-6

It’s easier to say “don’t judge people” than to live it out, am I right? There are times where I need to be reminded to give people a chance and not jump to conclusions. This is a big area of my life that the Lord has helped me in through the last 13 years of following Jesus.

As a child who grew up in church, only knowing what the Bible said and not what it meant contextually/historically, this was a verse I used out of context, A LOT, as a teenager and young adult.

In our reading today, Jesus is saying this for a reason. People liked to point out each other’s faults and prove their opinions to be correct and their points more important. He is telling His followers to go before the Lord and examine their own life first before pointing out someone else’s life choices.

As followers of Christ, the word or phrase “to judge” is used again in Paul’s writings to the Church of Corinth. His word “judge” is used to mean “to correct” like iron sharpening iron.

As I studied this text, it began to make sense. Jesus was telling me to examine myself before I go to a brother or sister in Christ. Paul then teaches us that, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to sharpen each other – to hold each other to a standard of righteousness and holiness.

It’s not always the easiest to be held accountable or have the crucial conversations with each other, but they are necessary. If we are living with the same goal in mind, to please Jesus and live righteously, this also means we must examine ourselves daily before we examine the choices of others. We must allow ourselves to be worked on the potter’s wheel in order to be made better and also encourage those around us to do the same. 

I challenge you to go before the Lord and see where you may have stepped from potter’s wheel to potter. Where have you begun to judge others? Where do you need to examine yourself and your choices and change your ways towards righteousness? Spend some time today to focus on these questions and step into a place with the Lord to allow Him to show you.

Kelly Lawson