Do Not Judge

Luke 6:37-38 (NIV)Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use, it will be measured to you.And let’s hear that in The Message Version of the Bible...Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults – unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back but not merely given back – given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”The Message version of this scripture clearly points out how we must behave toward other people. And, friends, that sounds like a fine plan!Jesus said, “LOVE one another” and we sometimes find that so hard to do. We see LOVE as a feeling we must have and we just can’t feel LOVE for that bad person, that one hurting others. Thank God, this Message version clarifies how we are to LOVE those difficult people...We don’t have to feel all that warm and fuzzy LOVE for everyone! We have to treat people with kindness, stop talking bad about them, stop condemning them, pray for them, help them when we can. And when we can’t physically help them, pray for them generously.I know my day would feel the presence of God’s LOVE a lot more often if I practiced this advice full-time instead of slinging angry thoughts and words out into my sphere of influence. What if we band together as Christ followers and help others more often, through our thoughts, prayers, words, and actions? Let’s work to LOVE our neighbors as Jesus advised and let’s stop judging and condemning.Let’s pray together...Dear Lord, it’s so hard to control our thoughts, words, and deeds when we are constantly bombarded with bad, sad news and negative commentary from dozens of sources. Help us to turn oY and tune out much of the chatter. Help us to find and commit to quiet, reflective time in your presence. Help us to treat all people with kindness, compassion, and forgiveness – just as you do. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.This devotional was written and read by Bernice Howard.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.