By The Same Standard...

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

Matthew 7:1-2

There I was, sitting in church, feeling pretty good about myself, when the pastor said something that smacked me sideways. He said, "God will judge us by the standards we set for others!"  Talk about a punch to the gut!  I could not stop thinking about that one statement.  The standards and expectations I have for others will be the same used by God to judge me.

The more I thought about it, the more I began to realize how judgemental I had become.  Why didn't that shortstop go for the double play is he an idiot? That was before I played baseball and realized the difference of watching from the comfort of my sofa and passing judgement and actually being on the field having to make split second decisions.

Don't get me wrong, we need to have standards and expectations, but they must be the same that WE meet consistently.  Have I ever murdered anyone? According to social standards, I have not.  But according to God's standards, I have. I have been so angry at others that, according to Jesus' teaching, constituted murder.

We need to be very careful before passing judgement.  First, make sure the standard by which you judge someone else is the standard YOU meet.  Second, put yourself in the place of the person you are judging (If I were in their shoes in that moment, would I have acted differently?).

Let's face it, God is God and He is the judge.  I am not, and had better not think myself a judge. The moment I begin to judge others, I am guilty of trying to assume the Throne of Grace.