May 21

“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.”

For me, this is probably one of the most important scriptures in the Bible. When I was growing up in Tennessee in a small Cumberland Presbyterian Church, everyone would tell me that I should not judge or pass judgment on anyone. This made quite an impression. It was not until much later in life that my wife pointed out there are times when you need to make a judgment. I digress. Getting back to what the scripture is really telling us, I think is that no one is perfect. When we are in a position to pass judgment, we should first look at ourselves very carefully and be fair in passing the kind of judgment we would like to have if we were the ones being judged. Then, and only then, would we not be hypocrites.

DEAR GOD, PLEASE GRANT ME THE WISDOM TO ALWAYS BE FAIR AND CONSIDERATE IN ALL DECISIONS THAT I AM ASKED TO MAKE ON BEHALF OF OTHERS. IN CHRIST JESUS’ NAME I PRAY IN LOVE. AMEN.

-Shared by Jim Batts