Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged.  You’ll receive the same judgment you give.   Whatever you deal out will be dealt out to you.  …   Therefore, you should treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you; this is the Law and the Prophets. …. Matthew 7:1 – 2, 12

One day, a man came to my office.  He came to tell me that I was fat.  He came (I think and trust) because he loves me and was concerned about my health.  That was the way he presented the issue to me.  But then, he said something like this: “I can name two families who aren’t attending our church anymore, because of your weight.”   Wow!  Really?

I can see you!  You can see me!  Because we are Friends, Relatives, Associates, or Neighbors, you have seen my faults and failures, or dare I say it … SINS.  I don’t expect that you would accept my faults, failures, or sins.  Heck!  I can’t even do that myself.  I simply ask that in spite of my faults, failures, and sins, you accept ME; you love ME.  You don’t have change your opinion and say that what you know to be wrong is actually right!  But what I need you to do is to understand that in spite of my fault, failure, and sin, I’m still a man – created in the image of God, redeemed by the grace of God, and sustained by the love of God.

This is what I try to do for you.  I know your faults and failures; I know your sins (at least some of them).  And because I am loved by God, I love you.  Because I am accepted by God, I accept you … in spite of what I know, in spite of what I see, and in spite of my experience with you.  Why?   Because God wants me to be like Him.  God doesn’t love my sin; God doesn’t accept my sin; God doesn’t change His holy standard to include my sin as okay.  God loves me; God accepts me; and God continues to work in me to conform me to His holy standard.

Jesus said: “Don’t judge … treat people the way you want them to treat you.”  I hope to live by this simple yet nearly impossible standard today.

Holy God, your word is the standard by which you call me to live my life.  You call me to love those things that you love.  Left alone, I cannot and will not accomplish this.  My eyes and mind size people up.  My eyes and mind make their faults, failures, and sins much greater than mine so that I can feel good about myself.  So first, O God, open my eyes to see the ugliness of my sin.  And then, open my heart to love and accept others, even when I cannot love and accept the ugliness of their sin.  In this way, help me be more like Jesus today.  Amen!