| October 17, 2005
Beware Of A Judgmental Spirit!
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A young married man began going to a pornography store. When his parents learned of this, they gently and tactfully confronted him, but made no accusations. The son responded with anger and said that he saw no harm in what he was doing. He accused his parents of being judgmental. With broken hearts they had to stand by and watch him as he left his wife and family, lost his job, and eventually ruined his life.
Many people today would say that his parents had no right to imply that he was doing wrong. They may even quote Jesus' words: "Judge not, that you be not judged" (Matthew 7:1).
But the Bible makes it clear that we are responsible to humbly confront fellow believers when we see them caught in sin (Galatians 6:1-2). These parents were lovingly doing just that.
Jesus wasn't saying we shouldn't confront sin. He was saying we must be very careful in making judgments. Paul wrote that love thinks no evil (1 Corinthians 13:5). We must give others the benefit of the doubt, recognizing our own limitations. And we must reject any feeling of spiritual superiority, lest we also fall into sin.
Confronting someone is a serious responsibility. Exercise it carefully, and always beware of judging. —Herb Vander Lugt
So, Lord, we humbly pray,
"Restrain our lips when we would speak
The things we should not say." —D. De Haan
Judge yourself before you judge another.
When We Love Too Much