It's Simple... DON'T JUDGE !!!

Have you ever noticed, when we judge others too quickly or much worse,
when we label people, we freeze people and we stop moving towards them
? Instead of remaining complex subjects, judging objectifies people
into caricatures and cardboard cut outs. And when disciples of Jesus
stop moving towards people – the Kingdom of God is diminished.

It's interesting… the Scriptures say all kinds of things about
judging. In one place Jesus says, "Don't judge and you yourself will
not be judged. Don't condemn people and you in turn will not be
condemned. Give generously and, 'a good measure, pressed down, shaken
together & running over…' will be given to you in return. Forgive
others and you will be forgiven.

It's like as though judgement & labelling people are so engrained in
everything we do, that the only possible way to undo it is to do it's
opposite.

Jesus goes further. He says if someone hates you, love them - if they
curse you – bless them. If someone abuses you, pray for them. If
anyone hits you on one side of your face, offer them the other side as
well. The list goes on & on until the picture that is formed is one of
overwhelming openness & generosity & movement towards people.

Jesus says, 'If you love only those who love you, how is that
different – even evil men love those who love them'. Jesus says that
in his Kingdom, the thing that defines his disciples is not how they
respond to those who love them but how they respond to those who don't
love them – to those who even despise them.

You know, I used to think that when Jesus said 'Love your enemies' he
was speaking in exaggerated language about extravagantly loving your
neighbour. Yet now I think Jesus is just saying, "Don't judge, don't
label, give & forgive generously – love your enemies !" It's that
straightforward !

That we use our judgement to make decisions for living is natural
however when disciples of Jesus judge and label others, they freeze
people, they stop moving towards people and the Kingdom of God is
diminished.

Actions Speaking Louder Than Words...

It's interesting… the Psalmist says, 'the heavens are declaring the
glory of God. Day after day pours forth speech & night after night
declares knowledge of God's glory… yet there is no speech nor are
there any words'. How can the heavens declare God's glory without
words ? I always used to think the obvious answer to this question was
the grandeur & complexity of the universe gave silent witness to the
glory of God.

However, the Bible says something quite different. In Exodus, we are
given a wonderful picture of Moses in intimate conversation with God.
Moses says, 'Show me you glory' and God agrees. However, God doesn't
take Moses to some high place where he can shown all the wonders of
the universe. Instead we are told God passes before Moses and
proclaims, 'The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to
anger and abounding in love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love
for a thousand generations, forgiving wrong doing & selfishness, yet
by no means clearing the guilty… to the third and fourth generation'.
It's all there. God's crowning glory isn't his creation. God's glory
is his goodness, it his activity on behalf of justice and
righteousness and mercy. The heavens are quietly declaring the glory
of God because actions speak louder words.

The Scriptures go further. They say that fearing God, knowing God is
an action, it is movement. Knowing God is described as walking in all
his ways. It's being stirred to action by the things that matter the
most to God. The prophet Amos says, 'What does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your
God.'

I like what Abraham Heschel says. He says that people aren't just
created in the likeness of God, people are created to act in the
likeness of God. When our actions line up with what matters most to
God – he calls that communion. Walking humbly in his ways.

Our actions on behalf of justice, righteous and mercy are the moments
touched by God's glory.

Outwards & downwards !