Righteous Judgment
Joe Slater
	I grew up knowing almost nothing about the Bible, but I knew that somewhere it said, “Judge not!” Partially quoting (and misapplying) Matthew 7:1 became my handy weapon against anyone who attempted to talk to me about my spiritual condition.
	Matthew 7:1 does, indeed, forbid hypocritical judging. Jesus’ illustration of the man with a plank in his eye trying in vain to remove a speck from his brother’s eye reminds us that before we criticize another, we ought to make certain that our own condition isn’t worse yet. It is easy to turn a blind eye to one’s own faults while mercilessly nit-picking someone else’s.
	Another trap we must avoid is making hasty judgments without knowing the facts and thinking through them carefully. Sometimes this is called “jumping to conclusions.” Jesus said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). Note that while forbidding one kind of judgment, Jesus actually commanded us to judge righteously. Earlier, in John 5, Jesus had healed a man on the Sabbath Day. According to some of the Jews, this was a violation of the fourth commandment to keep the Sabbath Day holy by resting (doing no work). After all, wasn’t healing someone work? And hadn’t He told the blind man to take up his bed (another act of work)? So angry were Jesus’ opponents that they sought to kill Him! Jesus pointed out the flaws in their understanding of the Sabbath law, as well as their inconsistency in enforcing their own misinterpretation of it. Then He challenged them to judge righteously.
	Unfortunately, the tendency to make snap judgments based on first impressions was not unique to 1st-century Jews. Plenty of 21st-century Gentiles (and Jews) still do it – even within the body of Christ. Before we conclude that someone isn’t doing right, let’s be sure we know the facts (all of them). We might learn that instead of a rebuke, that person deserves commendation, or needs some sympathy or help. If, after considering the facts carefully, we still conclude that the person has erred, then let us handle it like Jesus said in Matthew 18 – as gently and privately as possible, with the goal of bringing about repentance and restoration.
	Jesus forbade hypocritical judgments and snap judgments based on first impressions; but He commanded righteous judgment. By obeying these commands, we will please our Lord and promote peace and harmony within His body.
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When Jesus Walked the Earth
When Jesus walked upon the earth,
	He didn’t talk with kings.
He mostly talked with simple folk
	Of doing friendly things.
He didn’t praise the conquerors
	And all their hero host.
He said the very greatest
	Were those who loved the most.
He didn’t speak of mighty deeds
	And victories; He spoke
Of feeding hungry people
	And cheering lonely folk.
I’m glad His words were simple words
	Just meant for me and you.
The things He asked were simple things
	That even I can do!
		(via Jacksonville, AL)
Near to God
	Some time ago, I received an email telling about an Alaskan fisherman. He was quite a distance from shore fishing on his sixty-two foot boat when four young deer swam desperately toward him. He stopped, and they all came aboard his fishing vessel and fell exhausted to the deck. Who knows how long they had been paddling in the ocean, looking for a place of safety? They were so weak that when he reached the shore, he had to help the smallest deer disembark.

	Had those deer been safe on land, they would not have come near the man and his boat. Their fear and mistrust would have kept them away. They had to reach the point of pure hopelessness before they would climb aboard that boat. They had no other way out. If they didn't get on the boat, they would die.

	Sometimes we are like those deer. We have to reach a stage of hopelessness and desperation before we turn to God for help. We have to find there is no one else who can help us, and we have to discover that we cannot help ourselves.  

	Once we turn to God and plead for help, we find a loving heavenly Father waiting to receive us with open arms. We find that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). He is a God of patience and comfort (Romans 15:5). He rescues us and gives us courage. Like David, we can hide in the shadow of His wings (Psalm 17:8). Leaning on God, we can renew our strength and live. May we always draw near to God for help.

	--Donna Richmond Wittlif (Denver, CO)