Nothing shows us how far we need to go more than how we think or comment about the actions and the behavior of other people. God has not called us to be the ones that pronounce others guilty or innocent; it is not up to us to say how far short others are falling in their actions. Stop measuring others by a yardstick you do not apply to yourself. Before we make any comment, mental or verbal, perhaps we should ponder the following: “What about me?” “What am I doing like that?” “What am I doing just as bad, or worse than that?” “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” “That’s what I used to be.” “That’s what I could be.” Train yourself to turn your skilled eye on yourself; examine thoroughly your own self. Turn the searchlight back to you as quickly as you can and away from others. Train yourself to do it every time and not just sometime. Remember, we also practice the Lord’s Prayer of forgiving others their trespasses by avoiding judgmental thoughts and speech.
“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Colossians 3:12-13 (NLT)
