JUDGE NOT

1Co 4:3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.
1Co 4:4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.
1Co 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.


This is the type of freedom that Christ desires for us. If we are walking with the Lord in obedience, we should not be worried of the opinions of others of this world. The only person’s opinion that matters is the Father’s. I am not saying that we should not trust the wise council of our friends, or pastors. I just feel that if we listen too much to the opinions and criticisms of others, it can lead to a form of bondage that we were not meant to live in. It may even restrict us from being the person that we are meant to become in Christ. How many times would we have stepped out in Faith, if we were not worried about what someone else was going to think about our behavior? In the same sense, we should not be quick to judge the motive of another man. So many times we cast a glance at someone and something they are doing, and we have already decided in our hearts they are guilty, or innocent in whatever it was they were doing. In reality there are plenty of times when a situation at first glance can appear to be something that it is not. This is why we are to leave the judging of another person’s actions to God. He is the only person that knows the heart of the man. We have no idea what journey that God has that person on, that will eventually lead them to Christ. So, as long as someone is not walking towards the end of a spiritual or physical cliff, leave them be and let them live in the freedom that we are all meant to live in. And while we are at it, let’s let ourselves live in that same freedom that comes of walking in the Spirit. Read the Word of God daily. Not only will it build your relationship with the Father, but it will also keep people from passing down rules to you that are not Biblical but of themselves and their own version of the Word. One example that comes to mind is the pastor that was an alcoholic in his past; therefore he tells his congregation it is a sin to have a drink. He was unable to control himself in the past in this area so, with good intention he is trying to keep you from wandering down that same path. While the intention is good, it is a form of trying to control others out of fear. It is not a sin to have a beer; it is a sin to get drunk. There are people that enjoy the taste, and that is the end of it. If that is something a person really enjoys, they should feel free to do it without feeling as if they are doing something against God. I use this as an example because I have seen this in more than a couple of pastors now. Each time they preached on this subject, I could tell at some point they were going to reveal that they had themselves abused alcohol in the past. This is where a piece of their past is coming through in their message, and the Word is twisted to how they feel it needs to read in order to keep their people from experiencing the hardship of alcoholism. It begins with one or two things like that and before you know it, we are all afraid to live our life from a place of freedom, and instead we are following the life that people around us have told us to lead. Read the Word, keep communion with God daily and He will give you a nudge if you are doing something you need not be. You will feel it in your heart if you are doing something out of His will. Let’s not follow the compass of another man’s journey. Let’s instead follow the compass of the Holy Spirit within us, and see where that road takes us in Christ. I am sure He has something much better in store for us.