Judging

We all have a story... More often than we'd like to admit, we judge people based on our preconceived ideas, and in the true sense of the word, this is a form of prejudice. Pre-judging.

Prej-u-dice: a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience; biased.

We think that we know exactly why a person may have responded to a situation in a certain way, or why they simply act as they do... but we never really take the time to consider what they may or may not have gone through. Or maybe it's the opposite, maybe the person is not acting or being as YOU think they should be, and even so, we never get to know their story.

We get stuck in the moment, in the 'now'... and we fail to consider the steps and progress, the years of fighting for the right thing, that it took for the other person to get to where they are today. Sometimes we will even come to conclusions about a person by what they wear. Never truly getting to know a person by what's in their heart.

But thankfully God is totally the opposite of us humans (who can often be unmerciful, and quite judgmental). He said to the prophet Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 ESV),

So while we may be caught up in thinking certain things about others, we need to realize we have a heart condition of our own that needs checking. This is why we are told to examine and test ourselves to prove if our faith is genuine (see 2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV). King David himself asked God to "search me... and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts; see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way" (Psalm 139:23-24 AMP).

Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things 

and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 

Romans 2:3 ESV

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? 

Or you, why do you despise your brother? 

For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 

for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, 

every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 

So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. 

Romans 14:10-12 ESV

Let us not allow ourselves to take a seat in which God never intended us to have. Jesus is the true judge, and we are His children. We're all a work-in-progress, we will not be able to change by our own means and efforts, it is only through the help of the Holy Spirit can we truly be transformed.
We certainly need to help each other be the best we can be, by praying for each other and sharing the Word of God to one another.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” – Matthew 7:1-5 ESV

We must remember, we are all totally loved by God. So let's love one another.

Beloved, 

if God so loved us, 

we also ought to love one another. 

1 John 4:11 ESV