Casual Judging

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day —and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8

 Today's devotional was a bit of a wake-up call to me. There are so many times during the day when I casually judge others. I say "casually" because while I'm doing it I don't think about it and I'm doing it in a round-about way. Sometimes it's jokingly, sometimes it's in conversation with others. It's sad though, when I think about my conversations ans ideas I'm realizing that I do it more often than not.

Even though I'm doing it "casually", and maybe in a joking way, it is still judging. God feels very strongly about this issue. He commands us to not judge others, or condemn them. He also tells us the direct consequence of judging others - and it's one that I would like to avoid!

I was reminded this morning that God saved us all! We are all being crowned with righteousness and we have all received His blessings through His mercy. There is no need for judging - Jesus has paid the price for all of our transgressions and shortcomings!

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1