You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
Are You Living for Others’ Approval?
In today’s podcast episode, we are reminded of the importance of not judging others and instead focusing on our own journey with God. In this 5 minute episode, we reflect on my own experiences and the realization that other people’s opinions hold little significance in the grand scheme of things. Let’s also be cautious of passing judgment on others and instead allow God’s kindness and love to lead us towards repentance.
Insights:
Recognize the freedom in not seeking validation from others: As the speaker shares their experience from high school, we are reminded that the opinions of others should not define our worth or dictate our actions. When we understand that our ultimate validation comes from God, we can live with a sense of freedom and authenticity.
Focus on personal growth: It is easy to get caught up in comparing ourselves to others or pointing out their flaws. However, the speaker encourages us to shift our focus inward and use Scripture as a mirror to examine our own lives. Instead of judging others, let us allow God to work in us and guide us towards personal growth and transformation.
Extend kindness and love: Our role as followers of Christ is not to judge or condemn others but to love them unconditionally. Instead of pointing out the faults of others, let us extend kindness, tolerance, and patience. Through our actions and words, we can point others towards God’s love and grace.
Action Steps:
Reflect on your need for validation: Take some time to reflect on areas of your life where you seek validation from others. Surrender those areas to God and ask Him to help you find your worth and validation in Him alone.
Examine your thoughts and words: Pay attention to your thoughts and words when it comes to judging others. Challenge yourself to replace judgment with kindness and love. Seek to understand others rather than criticize them.
Pray for a heart of compassion: Ask God to give you a heart of compassion towards others. Pray for the ability to see them through His eyes and to extend His love and grace to them.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding us of the importance of not judging others. Help us to release the need for validation from others and find our worth in You alone. Teach us to focus on our own growth and transformation, allowing Your Word to be a mirror for our lives. Fill our hearts with kindness, tolerance, and patience, so that we may extend Your love to those around us. May our actions and words point others towards You, the true living God. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
Remember, as you continue your journey with the Lord, spend time in His Word and allow Him to transform you from the inside out.
Podcast Transcript: The Power of Opinions and Judgement
Introduction
I get the opportunity to speak with youth every once in a while, and I think one of the biggest things that I want them to know when I speak to them is one of the things that I came to realize when I was a senior in high school, which has been quite a while now, I graduated over 15 years ago, and when I was a senior though, there came a point, it wasn’t even until towards the end of my senior year where I had realized that everybody’s opinions of me didn’t really matter at all.
The Freedom of Not Caring
After I graduated high school, that I probably wouldn’t be seeing these guys very much at all again. When I realized that, that was so freeing to understand and to know and to take ownership of that, because there is this weight of you care what other people think of you for so long. And even as adults, it’s like, I even know when I make decisions, they tend to be unorthodox at times. the way that I tend to go with my life or the direction I’m going in my career to switch over to another direction for a time. And when I make those decisions, I already know in my head certain people in my life that are going to have opinions on that. And I can tell, man, it’s just really hard for people not to share their opinions with you. But I am not interested in most people’s opinions. Some I am for certain things and some I’m not for certain things.
Everyone Has an Opinion
Everybody’s got an opinion. And I try to be careful of mine. Like, what’s my opinion of others? I need to watch myself and the way that I think about others. I’m reading through the end of chapter one in Romans, and it’s going through all these things that we’re not supposed to be doing that are ungodly in our life. It’s listing murder and lying, hating God, slanders, homosexuality, arrogance, being boastful. It’s talking about all these different kinds of wickedness. It’s just crazy. The amount of lists goes on and on and on. And then when you start in verse one, of chapter 2 that says, This is where I get torn a little bit.
The Dilemma of Judgement
The Bible clearly states things that are wrong, and at the same time, we’re called not to judge others. And I know, obviously, I can look at scripture, it’s like, oh, you’re not supposed to be doing those things with your life. Like, you are a murderer. That is not good. God does not want us murdering other people, yet you’re doing it. Am I judging you because you’re doing something that the scripture doesn’t want you to do? That’s where I feel like a lot of Christians go wrong. It’s like, worry about yourself a little bit. And I can tend to do this, but I really try not to. I know I’m not perfect. I’m not perfect in a lot of ways. And I’m a work in progress, and I know that. And other people are works in progress. My goal is to look at scripture and let that be a mirror for me. Help me look at my life and see where God wants to change me and work in me, not to use this for others. not to put this on other people and to judge other people. And that can be a line that becomes easily crossed to compare ourselves with other people.
The Consequences of Judgement
It talks about when we’re passing judgment on other people, a lot of times we’re doing the same things. In verse 2, it says, Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think that you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you towards repentance? We’re not called to judge other people. We’re called to love, and it’s through that kindness, and we want God to work on them. I want to point you towards God. I don’t want to point you and show you the things that you’re doing wrong in your life, because at the end of the day, I got things in my own life I’m working on. I want you to chase after God, to seek after God, and if you’re doing that, it’s through His kindness and His graciousness that He will show you and love you through it, and He’s gonna change you from the inside out. My job, I see it, is not to judge you, to love you and to point you towards the true living God.
Conclusion
For what it’s worth, those are my thoughts. Romans chapter 2 verses 1 through 5 and as always I want to encourage you to get into the Word of God yourself Because I know that he’ll change you from the inside out if you allow him and if you seeking him out yourself.
