SCRIPTURE:
And He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge.
Isaiah 11:3, 4
OBSERVATION:
I remember the first time I felt the pressure. I was 4 years old and my grandparents entered me in Roy Sakuma’s ‘Ukulele festival competition. As I nervously picked through my version of the “Entertainer” I vividly remember thinking, “I hope they realize how many times I’ve ran through this standing in our living room and how many times I absolutely nailed it.” But it wasn’t meant to be that day as I didn’t even place. Defeated and disappointed I, never wanted to be put in that position again. It was the beginning of a lifetime spent thinking that my every move was being critiqued and judged.
And now, years and year later, I often still feel the pressure of judgement, with the bigger fear being that now I’m the one who is often required to judge. Is this good enough, is this hitting the target, will this speak to the masses? I hate it. I hate being judged, but I hate being the judge even more.
Now, I understand the need for it, the place it plays in the big picture, but the reality is, what if we put aside the judgement and focused on the journey and the joy? What if we looked at the purity of intent rather than the possibility for incompetence? What if we looked closely at the motivation instead of the missteps and mistakes? What if we chose to follow the example of the only excellent One?
APPLICATION:
How do I do this? Look to the shoot from the stem of Jesse, the model of the One True God and King, Jesus Christ.
- Long for the Spirit of the Lord to rest upon me and guide me which results in a spirit of excellence for His sake not a standard of excellence for my sake.
- Lean on His wisdom and understanding, not the critics. Once I start to take cues from the world rather than Jesus and His Word I start judging by what I see and hear instead of encouraging to a place of wholeness.
- Go to Him for counsel and strength instead of rallying my people around my cause. Why would I seek more judges to judge when I can seek Him and his Holiness? And being the gracious King He is, His counsel comes strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.
- And lastly, my only concern needs to be about please my King, the Righteous One.
PRAYER:
Jesus, help! It’s easy to write the words but so much more challenging to act and apply. But with You as my Judge and King I confidently rely on Your strength and righteousness. Thank you for loving me, for Your kindness and justness. Amen
