Charitable Judgments

‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.’
-Proverbs 18:21

"Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.’
- Matthew 7:1-5

‘For we all stumble in many ways….’
- James 3:2

‘If we are not loving our neighbors in the normal course of things, how will we ever do it when the stakes are much, much higher?’
- Paul David Tripp, War of Words, p. 166

Dear Christ Our Redeemer Family and Friends,

I’ve seen relationships destroyed because ill thoughts had been harbored from one party toward another. I have jeopardized and lost friendships because of my lack of love and my lack of genial deference toward others. The fact of the matter is that we are sinfully hard-wired to be suspicious and disparaging. More often than not our first thought is not charity, especially for those who are different from us. The corrosive effects of uncharitable judgments are like battery acid to the soul. They eat away at the most tender parts first and then form a callous all around. Soon our thoughts and then our speech become poison both for us and for others. It seems as if there is no escaping it. At points we may think we have a handle on it and then out of nowhere, there it is…an unkind word, an off-handed comment, or a tidbit of gossip. Truth be known we have no inherent power to change. We have no humanly possible remedy for uncharitable judgments. The war against these sinful habits must come from outside us. Thankfully, God has spoken a charitable judgment over us, but this not before he pronounced a severe judgment upon His Son. Christ died as a penalty for our uncharitable judgments. He received the just judgment of God due us and now He pronounces, not judgment, but benediction upon us. And in His benediction upon us He not only calls us to charitable judgments, but He gives us the power to make them for others.

Because of Christ I desire to make all judgments charitable judgments.

Pastor Dan