Greetings, brothers and sisters in Christ and children of God,

Some of you might remember a game that was played in school called “Here comes the judge”. The concept was the players closed their eyes and put their heads down. One of the players is selected to be the “judge”, and would stand behind all the players. The selected player would then say the words, “Here comes the judge.” The players would listen closely to see if they could recognize who the judge was. If someone guessed correctly then they would become the new judge. The judge would try to disguise his voice and throw the other players off. If you have never played it, I encourage you to try it with friends. It can be fun.

Have you ever had a moment when you made a judgement on someone, or even felt that you were judged? There is not much we can do about those who judge us, but we can control our judgements. Jesus teaches that we should not judge others, or else we will be judged in the same way we judge (Matthew 7:1-2). Not only should we not judge, but we also should not condemn others, for if we do we will also be condemned.  It is written, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap.”

 (Luke 6:37-38). If you have ever taken a bowl or a cup and filled it with sand, and packed it down, then shaken it and packed some more until it is overflowing then you know that it is a lot of sand that can be dumped in your lap. This verse has been taken out of context before, but it is a verse about not judging others, and if you do then judgment will be returned to you more than you judged. This is how much God does not like us to judge others.

However, while judging others or condemning others is not accepted in the eyes of the Lord, the scripture does allow judgement on actions or behaviors based on observing the facts. People have the tendency to look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). When we ask God to show us what He sees in others, then we begin to see what He sees. But, even if we do not see it, it is not for us to judge based on the outer appearance of a person. As they say, do not judge a book by its cover, but read what is in the heart of the story. It is not for us to judge the motives or salvation of others, therefore stop judging by appearance, but judge correctly

 (John 7:24). 

Often when we judge, God allows us to see ourselves in those we judge and reminds us that we ourselves have the burdens of sin that we will oneday be judged for. As an adulterer was about to be stoned, Jesus intervened and told those with stones in their hands that if any of them is without sin they may cast the first stone, but of course they realized their own sins (John 8:7). This is why we are to examine ourselves first before judging others. How can we remove the speck from the eye of others if we ourselves have a plank in ours (Matthew 7:3-5). We must ask God to show us our faults so that we may correct them and be examples of those who cannot see their own faults and then do not judge them, but graciously correct them and forgive them.

It is permissible for us to judge, but only based on the facts and not merely the observation of appearance. It is also not for us to pass judgement of the intention of others or their salvation, for we will all be in judgement before God (Romans 14:10). There is only one Lawgiver and Judge (James 4:12). Be humble and compassionate with your judgement and only judge how you desire to be judged. Extend grace and forgiveness as you would want from others and from the Lord.   

Last week, the little lambs investigated Job to discover why bad things happen to all people. Job did nothing wrong, but the Lord allowed the enemy to disrupt Job’s life, but he was not allowed to take Job’s life. It is a powerful story to remind us who is really in control of all of creation, including the devil himself. This week, the lambs will be searching for clues within the story of Abraham and Sara and examine their existence to prove they had a child at such an old age,

I look forward to worshiping with you tomorrow with songs of praise and dancing before the Mighty King and our Lord and Savior. If for some reason I do not see you, may the Lord bless you with peace, guidance, joy, and may He comfort you, strengthen you, and heal you when you are in need.

God bless you,

Your brother in Christ,

Michael (aka Mr. Michael)