Jesus said,
“He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone” which in a
nutshell means not to judge and/or condemn others, especially when we ourselves
are sinners.
Whether or
not someone is destined to fly with the angels in heaven, or burn with the
demons in hell for all of eternity is not for us to decide, that is between
them and their maker alone.
We should
not be concerned with the shape of our neighbor’s lawn when our own lawn is
deprived, undernourished and full of weeds.
We were not
put on this planet to tell others what they are doing wrong, the whole time
overlooking our own transgressions and pretending to be something more than we
really are.
Stop
pointing fingers and trying to dictate to others how they should live their lives;
we are not the judge, jury and executioner of all mankind, if anything we are
all convicted of the same crimes and simultaneously standing trial together.
We all know
it is much easier to showcase what we believe others are doing wrong, rather
than having the spotlight on ourselves, but that is not a justifiable reason to
avoid doing so.
Work on
yourself, make you the best possible person you can be, do what’s necessary to
be a guiding light and a positive impact on our planet, not a destructive force
that ultimately does more harm than good.
This advice
goes out the people of a faith as well as the people without a faith; one does
not need a deity in their live to avoid making judgmental and/or condemning accusations
towards others.
We all have
skeletons in our closet, we are all sinful by nature, no one is better than
anyone else, regardless of where they live, the color of their skin and/or how
much money is in their bank account.
Nowhere in
the bible, or any other religious/spiritual book for that matter, does it say that
on the day of judgment you will be judged by God (or any other higher power)
and John/Jane Doe from down the street.
The bottom line is this, live and let live, stay out of things that don’t concern you and let others be who they are, not who you want them to be.
A very good message. Too many people haven't learned it or have forgotten it.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that!
DeletePreach Father Mike!
ReplyDeleteYou know it sister sledge.
DeleteVery well said and is certainly applicable to all - even those not of faith...just a good lesson that more individuals should keep in mind before casting those stone...Nice work.
ReplyDeleteExactly my friend, we should all do a better job at trying to get along and staying out of each other's business.
DeleteExactly right. What's up with the new blog though?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the back up girl. This is just another blog to add to this mix, what can I say, I'm a blogaholic.
DeleteI've just found another dimension to the mysterious mind of Michael Mele. Sound guidance, indeed. All you need now are blogs on romance, sport and women's health and you'd have the full set!
ReplyDeleteI know my friend I am all over the place, but what can I say, it's all the fault of the many different personalities that occupy my dome.
DeleteI agree that we are not here solely to judge others without repenting of our own sin, turning away from it and growing in our own spiritual walks. However, I do believe that loving rebuke is spiritual and even mandated by the examples of Christ, the Apostles and Scripture. To take one verse out of the context of the totality of Scripture, diminishes its power and message. The one you reference is a great picture of mercy, forgiveness and beginning, again -- it was as much for the condemned as for those judging her. If all we take from it is don't judge others, even though God clearly set out the means by which the woman should be judged, in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, we miss the great hope, mercy and salvation that came through Christ.
ReplyDeleteJesus also told us not to worry about the speck in our neighbors eye, when we have a log in our own. On the face of it, this verse also seems to prohibit us from judging others. And yet, many times, Scripture, Jesus, the disciples and Paul set the example of rebuke. Therefore, I cannot believe it is something we are prohibited from doing, but that we are encouraged to do in love, with care for the person who is outside God's will and for whom our intention is reconciliation, not condemnation.
It is certainly easier, and more comfortable, to take your position; however it is not accurate to say that Scripture supports it.
Proverbs 28:23 Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue.
Leviticus 19:17 Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.
Matthew 18:15 If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
(an excellent example of believers rebuking other believers for the furtherance of the Gospel) Galatians 2:13-15 … The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? 15"We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;…
1 Timothy 5:20 But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. (Again it is believers who are being called to rebuke other believers.)
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.
Titus 1:13 This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith.
Jesus became angry and turned over the tables of the money changers, chasing them from the temple. I believe that would definitely be considered a judgement and a rebuke. If we are to be like Christ, then we should be incensed by all that would sully His name and truth -- judge it to be wrong and rebuke those perpetrating it to point them back to the correct path, rather than turning a blind eye and by so doing, condoning their sin, making its cover up our own sin.
Even at the crucifixion, the young thief hanging next to Christ, rebuked the other criminal hanging with them, for his words. Rebuke of other's sins is replete throughout the stories and parables of Scripture and to ignore them so we can feel comfortable telling others not to judge us in our sin, is a misuse of God's Word.
Thank you so very much for your insight and thoughts on this topic, I truly do appreciate it.
DeleteFor the record, I am not against "loving rebuke", a person looking out for the health and welfare of others out of sincere concern for their well-being.
Now with that said I don't think it is our place, nor was it intended to be, for us to judge others and/or condemn them to eternal damnation, no matter the reason.
Too many people run around pointing fingers, trying to showcase what others are doing wrong and/or guilty of (at least in their opinion), and do so out of ignorance, not love.
We need to focus on ourselves first and foremost when it comes to cleaning up our lives and living how God wants us to, because how could we justify rebuking others, out of love or ignorance, if we ourselves are not where we should be?
Have been thinking a lot about this topic lately, Michael. And I must say that I agree 100%.
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike my friend. Thanks for reading what I had to say on the topic, I really appreciate it.
DeleteI don't judge people. Every person is capable of every sin; it's in there. I do judge behavior. There is right and there is wrong, most of which is defined in the Bible.
ReplyDeleteGood post as always. It's my fave de jour as it has caused discussion...that's a good thing!
Amen to that my friend, and I'm right there with you. Very well said.
DeleteI really appreciate the love, coming from you that means a lot.
Very well said ... the world would be a better place if people put this into action.
ReplyDeleteThere's no doubt about it, it absolutely would be.
DeleteI am one of your biggest fans ...7d
ReplyDeleteMuch love.
DeleteBelief in God and Jesus Christ helps a person to keep in himself a bright and sincere feeling of light, kindness and purity of thoughts in his head.
ReplyDelete