"Here come the judge!"

Most of us are taught that judging is something we shouldn't do. We often rely on the scripture "Judge not, that you not be judged" to constrain our tendency to be judgmental. However, maybe the issue is not whether we judge but through what "mind" we judge, carnal or Kingdom. Taken at face value, we cannot operate in life without making judgments. After all, to judge simple means to "decide upon something critically."

We say, "you can't judge a book by its cover." That is, we must look thoroughly into a matter or action in order to determine if it is right or wrong, good or bad. Well, if we cannot actually refrain from making judgments, on what basis are we "to judge," especially when we are judging others? Jesus anticipates this when He says, "and with the measure you judge it will be measured to you." Maybe the trick to judging is in the idea of the "measure," which is the instrument by which we critique.

We find some insight into this matter when Jesus said, "the one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory" (John 7). What does it mean for a person to seek their own glory? This starts with protecting oneself from what others think, exalting oneself over another, a form of self-righteousness. However, "seeking one's own glory" goes further. Judging another ultimately results in casting he/she into shame.  Since "speaking on one's own authority" is basically judging from a carnal mind (the measure), we might say that when we judge others as a means to glorify self, we seek to shame the target of our judgment.

Interestingly, it is our shame that put Jesus on the cross and it is the cross that eliminates our shame. Oh, so the Kingdom mind (a better measure) tells us that when we critically view others through the eyes of the Cross (Grace), then God will use our actions to transform and to restore the target of our judgment, not shame them.

Good idea and something worth pondering ....