Thinking Like a Christian

A series of Scripture meditations on what the Bible teaches about the Christian life.

by Pastor Pete Beck III

These meditations are copyrighted,

but feel free to download them for

personal use or to forward to friends.

 

 

 

 

 

What a Disappointment You Are!

 

Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive. 3 Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own? 5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:1-5 (NET1)   

 

 

Most Christians are very familiar with the above passage. In fact, it is probably non-believers' favorite, too. No one likes to be judged, but we all are pretty good at dishing it out. We Christians, however, being clever hypocrites, often call judging others something less offensive. A rose by any other name is just as sweet, and judgment by any other name stinks just as much. Yes, we believers know we are not to judge others, but maybe we don't feel so bad about being deeply disappointed with people. Deep disappointment may come from weighing a person in the scales of our own judgment of what he or she should be and finding that they come up woefully short. After making such a judgment, we communicate our disappointment through various forms of rejection, both openly, as with our words, or covertly, as when we separate ourselves from the offender.

Someone once said we can view the cup as half full or half empty, and how we see it tells a lot about what kind of person we are. When we look at others, do we focus on what is wrong or on the good? You guessed it: how we look at people says more about who we are than who they are! If you look long enough and hard enough at anyone, you will find something to dislike and with which to be disappointed. If we lock into those things, we join the ranks of the Accuser of the brethren and actually tear down what God is building. We can miss the good in a person and what they are doing because we are so mesmerized with what is wrong with them. What it says about us is that we may see ourselves as being above reproach; or, surprising as it may seem, it likely says that we have such a sense of judgment hanging over us, that we find it necessary to pass it on to others. If we can find someone else to criticize, maybe I can forget for a while what a miserable failure I am. Jesus called that having a log in our own eye.

The scary part is that Jesus promises that the way we treat others will come back on our own heads. That is a bad thing if we are critical people, but a good thing if we have learned to be gracious in our estimation of people. Let's focus on the positive. When we observe faults in others, what should be our response? Should we simply ignore what we see and pretend everything is great? Of course not! There is a place for speaking the truth, but it has to be in love, and love is never judgmental or critical. Love is never disappointed with people because it never gives up on people. Love is able to see where people are now and believe for what they can eventually become. Love affirms rather than judges.

 

Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. 6 It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NET1)

 

So, the next time you feel deep disappointment regarding another person, examine your own heart. You may have crossed the line and become an accuser of the brethren. If so, you had best repent before it comes back on your own head!

---

 

You can subscribe to future meditations by clicking here.
Your address will not be sold or given to others.
You can unsubscribe by clicking here.
To contact Pastor Pete, click here.