Judge Not

Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. --Luke 6:37

 
 

Jesus calls us to be tolerant and understanding toward those around us. Everyone has grown up with different circumstances and life experiences and so they have become different people with different preferences and ideas. This is what makes a church or any other organization rich and diverse if people learn to be tolerant. Intolerance began in the church before it ever was the church. Jesus disciples once met a man who was casting out devils in the name of Jesus and they told him to stop because he was not with them. Today things are not much different. There are church feuds within the church or between church groups. This is not what God had in mind for the church. God wants His people to get along with each other and work together. However, he does not want us to tolerate sin. He does speak very clearly, in the Bible, about how to deal with sin, and He does not want us to tolerate it. How many friendships have been ruined, lives lost, and wars fought that could have been eliminated if people only had tolerance.

 
 

Lord, help me to be tolerant of people around me. Help me to understand that just because someone thinks differently than I do, it doesn't make it wrong. Help me to do my best to understand things from their point of view. Help me to reach out and befriend the friendless, help the unlovely and bring them to You.