God's grace doesn’t fit in boxes of our making. What a refreshing thought. Opportunities to judge others will always present themselves. But it's worth resisting that temptation - every single time.
As Believers, we know that we are ‘not to judge,’ we are to ‘esteem others as greater than ourselves’ and, mostly importantly, ‘love others.’ It’s easy to nod in agreement to that. It’s quite different to walk it out on the daily. As you would’ve realised, people are complex, and their lives are often messy. But complications aside, our mandate remains the same.
Sometimes we look at others and their actions and draw conclusions in our mind. We decide how we feel about their situation, whether we deem their actions right or wrong, and what it probably means about them as a person. We can slap a sticker of discernment on it, but it’s in times like these when we must look at our hearts and see whether we’ve actually stepped into judgement and put God's grace in a box.
A simple example to ponder.
I’ve only been taught this in recent years, but did you know that ‘your words create your world?’ Just like the LORD said ‘let there be light,’ and there was light, we are to create our world by declaring the Word of God in faith. The alternative, of course, is not declaring the Word and living your life circumstantially (Don’t do that).
With that in mind, if you were to hear a Believer swear for example, you could look at him and think: ‘Wow, he obviously isn't walking very closely with the Lord. Maybe his 'Christianity' is just a Sunday thing and he doesn't know Jesus too well. It’s probably just religion to him – not a relationship. He should know that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable.’
And while it is true that ‘filthy language’ is not for Believers, there are certain questions worth asking in your heart regarding this situation:
Do you know what God has done in that man’s life up until that point in time? Are you intimately aware of the journey he has walked and the miraculous transformation that has already taken place within him? Do you have knowledge of what God is, at that very moment, doing in his heart? Were you there when he was delivered, in an instant, from a life of cocaine and violence? Do you know that when Jesus manifested Himself to him that he fell instantly in love with God and was healed of his childhood trauma?
Probably not...
Who are we to judge? No one.
How do you know whether or not the Holy Spirit will fill His room that night and, in gentleness, reveal that certain words don’t need to be given space in his life any longer? Are you certain that that man won’t beam as he feels the love of God warming his insides and, with tears streaming down his face, repent and never have that word touch his lips again? Are you certain of all of this as you ponder in your own heart that maybe you shouldn’t spend too much time with this man going forward because of what he said?
Let us not walk in judgement.
Social media is often called ‘a snapshot of a person’s life,’ but often our limited physical interactions with people are just snapshots too. We never fully see every single heart of every single person we know. God does. His love is greater than poor decisions and impulsive behaviour. His love is bigger than us.
And God's grace is so vast.
And yes, there may be times where we are led (by God and not our opinions) to confront a person and lovingly guide them to Truth. But more often than not, we may see a situation and – in wisdom – we should keep quiet and check our hearts.
Let us repent of our judgments and turn with tear-stained faces to the One who has forgiven us of our own sins.
We are loved. Let us walk in it.
We have been given God's grace. Let us extend it.
“Refuse to be a critic full of bias toward others, and judgment[a] will not be passed on you. 2 For you’ll be judged by the same standard that you’ve used to judge others. The measurement you use on them will be used on you.[b] 3 Why would you focus on the flaw in someone else’s life and yet fail to notice the glaring flaws of your own?[c] 4 How could you say to your friend, ‘Let me show you where you’re wrong,’ when you’re guilty of even more? 5 You’re being hypercritical and a hypocrite! First acknowledge your own ‘blind spots’ and deal with them, and then you’ll be capable of dealing with the ‘blind spot’ of your friend.
Matthew 7:1-5 TPT