Why We Must Stop Judging People - Part 8
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”—Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV)
We are commanded by Jesus not to judge people.
Judging people is a matter of focus. What do we focus on when we look at other people? Do we focus on their faults, or do we look for the good in them as Jesus did?
Jesus saw great potential in Zacchaeus (Luke 19), who was a corrupt and hated tax collector. Because Jesus looked past his faults and believed in Zacchaeus and his potential for good, Zacchaeus’ life was dramatically transformed.
Simon Peter may not have seen greatness in himself, but Jesus did! When Jesus met Simon, He gave Simon a new name that was more fitting for the greatness that Jesus saw in him!
“And he brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas.’ Cephas means Peter, or Rock.”—John 1:42 (NIRV)
Later, when Peter had lost faith in himself, in bitter despair after betraying Jesus, God reached out to personally let Peter know that Jesus had not lost faith in him. Peter was still fully accepted and welcomed among His disciples. Jesus still had a vital role for Peter to fulfill.
“Go, tell his disciples, especially Peter, that he is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you.”— Mark 16:7 (CEB)
Where is Your Focus?
In this passage from His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls our focus into question.
“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye”— Matthew 7:3 (NASB)
Good question! Why are we even looking at the faults of our brothers and sisters? Why are we focused on seeing what is wrong with them?
If someone has wronged you, forgive them! Then stop looking for faults in this person.
Shift your focus to see only the extraordinary value of this person. This person is of such high value that the Son of God was willing to die for them!
When God forgives you of your sin, He forgets that your sin was ever committed. Can’t we also choose to change our focus from looking at the faults of this person’s past to discovering the amazing positive potential for this person’s future?
“For I will be merciful and gracious toward their wickedness, And I will remember their sins no more.”—Hebrews 8:12 (AMP)
“… for I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sins.”—Jeremiah 31:34 (CEB)
“I, I alone, am the one who wipes out your wrongdoings for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.”—Isaiah 43:25 (NASB)
“Then he says, “I will forget their sins and never again remember the evil they have done.”—Hebrews 10:17 (ERV)
After you have confessed your sins and received God’s forgiveness, He does not continue to look at those past sins. He doesn’t even remember that they happened!
Why then do we focus on the faults of our brothers and sisters? We are commanded by God to love people, but how can we love them when we are constantly focused on their faults?
We need to be very intentional about only seeing the good in others. We are not their judges.
This requires an intentional shift in our thinking. We must take every thought captive and only allow ourselves to see the good in others and to no longer focus and dwell on their faults.
As Paul exhorts us:
“Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].”—Philippians 4:8 (AMP)
Exercise to Change Your Focus
Sit down and take time to focus on one person you know well. This could be a relative, a friend, or a co-worker. This could be someone you love dearly or someone you don’t like very well, but this works best when you focus on someone with whom you have conflict.
Write this person’s name at the top of a blank sheet of paper, or at the top of a new note on your electronic device.
Intentionally change your focus.
Ignore their faults. Choose not to see any faults in this person.
Focus only on looking for good qualities.
On the sheet of paper, or on your electronic device, list as many good qualities as you can find in this person.
Some people have called this a Treasure Hunt. Search for the good in people as if you were searching for buried treasure. Every person is a human treasure chest full of good qualities and potential for greatness, but you may need to search under the surface to find their best qualities.
Make this a habit as people come to your attention each day. Intentionally search for good qualities in each person.
Be aware that good qualities may not be fully developed in the person. Good qualities are often crude and rough when they are immature and undeveloped because maturity and wisdom may be lacking. So, look for potential! Don’t expect to see mature qualities of greatness that are fully formed in the person. Look for hints of potential future greatness!
When you discover good qualities in a person, ask God to bless those qualities.
If you feel comfortable, compliment the person for these good qualities. This may help the person to see greatness in themselves that they never saw before, and encourage them to develop these qualities even more!
We as Christians are supposed to be setting the standards for love and acceptance, but too often, Churches have become places of judgment, condemnation and hurt for thousands of people. You can help change that!
