The Judge

Scripture:
Romans 14:7-12

I remember one time giving a devotional to a group of teenagers.  I had taken the Bible cover off my Bible and placed a book cover from a fantasy novel on it.  I then took the Bible cover and placed on the fantasy novel.  I held the two books up for everyone to see.  Of course at first glance they all said the book with the Bible cover was the Bible.  So I opened it to read scripture from it.  Everyone was surprised when I started to read and it wasn’t the Bible.

The point of the story was that we tend to judge each other by first appearance.  During that session I pointed out to one of the teenagers sitting nearby.  I had commented on how I had prejudged that person based on what I first saw and observed.  I didn’t care for him at all.  I groaned inside when he would show up.  After I got to know him I knew the mistake I made.  I asked for forgiveness and stressed that we are not suppose to judge those around us.  Especially when we haven’t even met them yet, Jesus tells the scribes and Pharisees in John 8:7 the one without sin can cast the first stone.  No one was able to stand there and condemn the women being charged with adultery.  John 8:7-9:

But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court.”

We are all God’s children.  The last time I checked the only one able to cast the first stone died upon the cross instead.  If He didn’t throw the stone then who are we to?  It is not our job to judge someone.  Besides if we judged somebody that would entitle someone else to judge us.  I don’t know about you but I prefer to stand before God who is an impartial and just God.  I know I will stand not as a sinner but as a man made righteous through Christ.  I choose to bend my knee and confess Jesus as Lord now before it is too late…