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Judgmental Moments
In the Word
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? (Romans 14:10a).
Of the Word
She noticed him the minute he entered her checkout line. He had multiple tattoos, body piercings, and a T-shirt extolling an oddly-named music group. “Another one of them,” she thought. “How are you?” she asked. “Blessed!” he answered, “I’m blessed by God!”
How often our first impressions become final judgments! We look at style of dress, skin color, nationality — even facial expressions — and decide a person’s worth. We gravitate toward those who are most like us. Yet we forget the world’s most common denominator — our sinfulness. We have all fallen short of God’s demand for perfection; everyone has sinned. How foolish to pass judgment on those who are exactly like us!
Because Jesus died and rose again, God the Father now sees us in the perfection of Christ. We are new creatures. How blessed we are when we see others through Jesus’ eyes, loved and saved by Him. They, too, belong to the family of God.
Walking with my Lord
Lord, when I am tempted to pass judgment on someone, please enable me to see instead through my Father’s eyes. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Mustard Seed: From Quiet Times to Noisy Love. Jan Struck, author. 17/30 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
