HEART MATTERS  

“Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgement you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?”  Matthew 7:1-3

I can honestly say that there are not a lot of people I know who I would consider to be judgmental. Thankfully most people seem to be relatively respectful, content to mind their own business.  There are a few people I know who seem to have really pure hearts.  They refuse to think a bad thought about a person no matter what they’ve done.  Then there are those who genuinely struggle with having a critical and judgmental spirit.  Although they try to hide it-one wrong word, one wrong statement or just wrong them altogether and it won’t be long before the way they truly feel is revealed.  You’ll see it in their disapproving countenance; hear it in their demeaning words, or feel it in their distant attitudes.  Nothing good comes from having a judgmental spirit.  It can wreck the lives of others and ravage the life of the one who harbors it.  As a person who struggled with being judgmental and who has since been delivered I’m so glad the Lord is adamant that there’s no place for it in the life of a believer.

In order to guard our hearts against it we must first understand what it means to judge someone.  I believe overall the concept of judging others has been greatly misconstrued. Unfortunately today we live in a culture that believes everything is relative.  In regards to others most adhere to “whatever floats your boat” and “if its right for you then that’s all that matters.”  We live in a society that desires to determine right and wrong for itself. Anything that challenges one’s belief’s and behaviors is considered “judging.” As a result, a sincere stand for truth is interpreted as intolerance and frowned upon as an unwelcome intrusion even to the detriment of the souls of men.  What it means to “judge” has further been reduce to well known comedic punch lines.  Like Arthur Spooner on the King of Queens any reasonable question can elicit the response “don’t JUDGE me!”

Therefore it’s really important that we as believers (the one’s who are most accused of being judgmental and the ones who at times can truly be judgmental) know what it means to judge others.  The Greek word for judgment is “Krino”.  It means to distinguish or to decide; to try to punish or condemn; to sentence.  Judgment has to do with coming to one’s own conclusions in response to another’s attitude and/or actions.  Judgment comes out of a wrong heart.  If our hearts are right: merely making a factual statement that’s negative is not judging; sharing the Gospel with someone is not judging; even speaking to someone about a sin issue in their life is not judging them.  Correcting, instructing, and rebuking is not judging if it is done with a right heart, right motive, and in obedience to the Holy Spirit.  (See 1st Tim 5:20; Titus 1:13; Titus 2:15; Luke 17:3).

The only way to know if we’re judging someone is to examine our hearts.  I’ll never forget a turning point in my life in regards to my propensity to have a judgmental spirit.  As I discussed a recent wrong I suffered with a loved one, I immediately felt the Holy Spirit convicting me.  I remember praying and saying “Lord how was I judging?  I only stated the facts regarding what happened!”  Then the Lord whispered to my heart “but it’s not about what was done, it’s about how you feel about what was done.”  Guilty as charged!  I knew in my heart that I wanted the person who wronged me to be punished for what they did.  I was in fact considering how I myself could make them pay-I could: become cold and distant; stop speaking to them altogether; put them down to others; or simply decide to think less of them.  I was considering how I wanted to sentence them for their wrong towards me.  Ouch! I realize now that since I can be bent on justice, any wrong doing or injustice towards me can trigger me to have a judgmental response.  So with the help of The Holy Spirit I guard my heart appropriately.

However being wronged is not always a prerequisite for some to become judgmental of others.  People can judge others for all sorts of reasons: jealousy; envy; disappointment; discouragement; unreasonable expectations; feeling rejected, unworthy, or unloved. To make matters worse as flawed human beings we have a way of having a justification for everything we say and do.  It’s the only way to appease our consciences but it results in deception.  As such, oftentimes it’s difficult to recognize when we’re being judgmental of others.  So here’s a few questions we can ask ourselves to examine our hearts to see if we’re being judgmental or not.  Do we feel: incensed towards someone; unrelenting anger towards someone; that someone’s actions/behavior is unacceptable/unforgiveable; a strong disdain for someone; we need to see someone get what they have coming to them; we have to punish someone for what they did to us; we should have a nasty attitude towards them?  All are indications that a judgmental spirit has developed and is now clogging up your heart.

Once we’re able to recognize that the struggle is real, we need to look to the Word of God for correction and instruction.  The Bible makes it clear that we are not to judge others.  Here’s why:

Judgement belongs to God: 1 Corinth 4:4-5 “For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.  Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.”  One of the main reasons we have no right to judge others is because we are not “all knowing” about others.  Only God knows every facet of a person’s life.  Only The Lord knows all reasons they act and behave the way they do.  When we judge others we do so with limited information and based on assumptions.  If we knew everything about the person we’re judging chances are we’d understand them more and therefore we’d have a heart of compassion towards them.

Judgement bars forgiveness: Luke 6:37 “Judge not , and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”  Judgement refuses to let the person off the hook.  It’s the opposite of forgiveness which willingly releases one from a debt owed.  Christians are commanded to forgive.

Judgement bans hope:  Romans 14:4 “Who are you to judge another’s servant?  To his own master he stands or falls.  Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”  God is the God of all Hope!  He always desires to restore His children.  If we don’t desire the same, our hearts are out of order.

Judgement beseeches evil:   James 4:11 “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren.  He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law.  But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.”   Judging and speaking evil go hand in hand.  Christians are commanded not to let any corrupt communication come out of our mouths.

Judgement belongs to The Lord: James 4:12 “There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and destroy.  Who are you to judge another?”  John 5:22 “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgement to the Son,”   John 8:16 “And yet if I do judge, My judgement is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.”

Heart to Heart: When God delivers you from a judgmental spirit, your heart will be filled with joy!”