Being judgmental is pretty much the opposite of what we are called to do as followers of Christ which is to love one another. In John 8 we can see the Pharisees bringing this woman caught in the act of adultery before Jesus, not because they are trying to show her love but because they are trying to trap Jesus. There does nothing about what they are doing that could be considered loving toward Jesus or toward this woman. They decide basically that she is not worth anything except to be a pawn that can be sacrificed to further their agenda. When we judge we are doing the exact same thing. We are basically bringing that person before Jesus and pointing out everything that they are doing that we have decided is wrong. Or maybe they have actually done something that is opposed to God's word. Then we feel completely justified in throwing them at the feet of Jesus and pointing out all that they have done wrong. This is not the way Jesus operates with us and it is not the way we should operate with others.

We are called to love people. The bigger problem is that when we choose not to do that, when we choose to be judgmental instead, we are not only choosing not to love those people, we are also choosing not to love God. 1 John 4:20-21 says this, Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Let's be those who love God and love people, no matter who they are or what they have done. Isn't that the way Jesus loves us??

-Pastor Dale