Mercy trumps over judgement or Have you been judged by others?
Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie
February 2018
copyright
“I want to go to church but I don’t anymore because I always felt judged by people there” was a comment I recently heard from someone. It made me sad and disappointed in Christians because judgement is not our job. The statement caused me to explore scripture and see what the Bible had to say on the topic.
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| Adoration and love-my grands-Ellis and Grant |
Hebrews 4:16 states, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
When people are struggling, mess up or are caught in sin, they do not need us pointing fingers or shaming them. What they need is us loving them right where they are and pointing them to God and his love and forgiveness.
James 2:12 gives us a strong admission and direction and says, “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. mercy triumphs over judgement.” (NIV)
Love never fails and kindness and mercy will always win over judgement.
I remember when I was the director of the Christian Women’s Job Corp of Kerr County, a little old lady, a volunteer, came into my office to complain about one of my clients. She was upset because she heard this woman and her three children were living with a man that was not her husband. She wanted me to tell my client she could not do that and be in our program.
I had to take a deep breath before I addressed the older lady, I’ll call Mrs. Smith. You see, I had been sharing with my client about the goodness of God and how he loves us right where we are and is full of forgiveness.
“Mrs. Smith, I am trying to lead this woman to Christ, not address all the things she might be doing incorrectly, “ I said.
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| shower for my future daughter-in-law |
“It is my job to lead her to Jesus and his job to convict her of anything she is doing wrong,” I stated.
“Or another way to put it is, it is my job to be a fisher of men and Jesus’ job to clean the fish,” I continued.
What Mrs. Smith did not know was that my client had confided in me that she did not really care for this man, however, he provided a home for her kids and she would be homeless if he was not in the picture.
No one likes to be misunderstood or judged and the irony is, if we were really in their shoes, would we do any better? It is easy to say, “I would never do that, or my kids would never do that” but I have to wonder how many times people eat those words. I know I sure have.
Romans 14:10-13 instructs us saying, “You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgement seat…So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God, Therefore let us stop passing judgement on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brothers way. (NIV)
Judgment is not part of our job description as Christians. Love and mercy are our assignment, especially when people have done wrong. Otherwise, we are actually hurting ourselves.
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| My big boys-Price and Austin |
God is kind and when we walk in mercy and kindness, we earn the right to be heard and then can speak into their life. Far too many times, people are quick to judge and misrepresent the heart of God and can drive people away from the very one that can help them.
I remember a time I felt judged and there was not much I could say in order to protect a couple that had confided in me and my husband. Years ago, my late husband and I had counseled a couple in regards to their marriage. We knew their struggles. About five years after that, I was put in a position at work and had to make a tough call because of my previous knowledge. It made a coworker very angry and she told other people and they judged me and my decision. To protect the confidentiality of the couple and their struggles, I would not defend myself or address the issue further. I will admit, the judgement really hurt and I had to simply commit it to God.
If you are someone that has been judged by a Christian, I am so sorry and as a Christian, ask your forgiveness. I pray God heal your heart from judgement and show you His great love and kindness.
Reading all these scriptures caused me to quickly ask God to forgive me for anytime I have judged others as I want no part of it. I hope you will examine your heart to see if you have judged others and ask forgiveness and begin to walk in mercy and love.
We have a big world around us that needs Christ, his love and forgiveness. Let’s be a people that display mercy, kindness and love.
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| Baby Grant and Mimi Max |
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