Do Not Judge

Living in Covenant

A Heart-felt Covenant

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

Jesus Teaches about Right Attitudes

Luke 6:37-45 The Message

37-38 “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”
39-40 He quoted a proverb: “‘Can a blind man guide a blind man?’ Wouldn’t they both end up in the ditch? An apprentice doesn’t lecture the master. The point is to be careful who you follow as your teacher.
41-42 “It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this I-know-better-than-you mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your own part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.

Work the Words into Your Life

43-45 “You don’t get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It’s who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.

For Reflection

Judgment is necessary.  A human imperative is to observe and judge the levels of threat and promise in our lives.  Such action keeps us safe. All judgments are made in a specific time and space and circumstances with only that which is observed or disclosed by others. Such observations and inferences should be considered temporary, and the validity of such subject to change as new information emerges.

However, being judgemental is another matter.  Using such judgments in a pejorative way does nothing to advance the effectiveness of the community. We have been given the gift of creativity. Use that gift to help others see what they cannot see and develop healthy, supportive relationships among the human community.

Pray

Pray so that you will see not only the shortcomings of yourself and others. Pray so that you will develop the skill of creative, supportive ways of advising yourself and others regarding a path to righteousness. Pray so that you can become a messenger for healing.

Note: Dyed silk banner by students at the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, Montreat, NC, 2019
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