Day One Matthew 7:1-2
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.” – Matthew 7:1-2 (NLT)
Learn From the Word
This first verse is an often quoted verse by Christians and non-Christians alike. But it’s important to know what Jesus meant and what He didn’t mean when He talked about judgment. He'll teach us later in verses 15-16 about our need to be discerning, but of utmost importance to Him is the heart behind our judgment. We have it backwards when we deal harshly with the sin of others but mercifully with our own.
Put It Into Practice
Jesus gives us a good litmus test to know if our judgment is the kind He teaches against: is our standard of judgment fair, and is it the same standard we would use to judge ourselves? Take some time now to address with God the heart behind your judgment of others. Sadly, our human tendency is to err on the wrong side of this topic. Have you assigned wrong motive to someone? Have you attached someone’s identity to what they’ve done? Confess to God the ways you've wrongly judged someone and ask Him to help you “look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”
For more on what this looks like practically, watch this talk from Anne Wilson.
For Families with Kids at Home
Jesus tells us that we will be treated as we treat others. We often refer to this as the “Golden Rule” – “treat others how you want to be treated.” Ask your kids to share some examples of ways they would like others to treat them. What does that look like to treat others in the same way, even people who might be difficult?