“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1-2 (NIV)
It’s interesting how we want God’s grace and mercy in our lives, but we are quick to judge and complain about others. As an example, think about your morning commute. Although you should always have safe driving habits, when you are in a hurry, you want everyone else to be understanding and forgiving because you have some place to be. But when they (other commuters) are in a hurry, you complain about their driving, secretly hoping they’ll receive a ticket from the police. The bible says that with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. If you want God to have mercy on you, you should have mercy on others. This isn’t a post encouraging you to condone or dismiss bad behavior, it’s simply pointing out that sometimes we are critical of others for the same things that we do ourselves. If you want God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness for your mistakes, extend that same forgiveness to others for their mistakes. What you do to others will be given to you. Where do you need to have more patience this week? Who do you need to forgive this week? Which family member do you need to forgive?
We’ll be talking more about this topic this week. Stay tuned!