FAITH CAPSULE: Who are you to be judging others?
 
Matthew 23

The book of Ecclesiastes 8:11 stated, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” (Ecclesiastes 8:11) Does it always get your attention why evil ones prevail in their evil act? One thing is certain, God alone is the righteous and perfect judge and that makes it the more reason why we should strongly avoid taking a position of judging others. Who are you to judge?
Ecclesiastes 8:12-13 went further by stating, “Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.” Going by these two verses, it is always better for every individual to strongly attend to self rather than be a judge of the evil ones. God alone is in charge and we are to attend to ourselves and not be a self-appointed judge.
Jesus said it all in Matthew 7:1-5, “Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”Every believer has a need to take a close look at self to know how much of the spirit of Pharisees inhabits in them. Are you one of those who want to shine on the outside while the inside is dull and cannot be presented before the Lord? Are you a modern day Pharisees that will offer more than what is requested for the outside while the inside is not being attended to? By virtue of the days we are living, every believer does have a need for serious self-examination. Man can be deceived but God cannot be deceived. It is possible to go from one fellowship to another fellowship, presenting self on the outside as holy and neat while having a neglected inside that is not right before God. It does not matter how long you have been getting away with your hypocrisy. Just think of the fact that God does not and will not overlook sin. It is evil for any believer to think that inside can be neglected while the outside is being upgraded.

Prayer for today: Ask for His deliverance and His loving-kindness to continually preserve you.