Do Not Judge Others
MATTHEW 7:1–6
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
“Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.”
Effective Prayer
MATTHEW 7:7–11
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”
The Golden Rule
MATTHEW 7:12
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”
REFLECTION
Judging others comes easily for most of us. We can see the sins or poor choices clearly in other people’s lives. Yet Jesus tells us, “do not judge.” Now, he’s not saying we should take everything at face value. He actually tells us to be discerning. Jesus’ point is that “in light of all that we have been forgiven . . . we should be gracious and merciful with others.”6 We are ALL worthy of judgment, and God has been gracious to us beyond anything we could imagine! So because we have been forgiven, we have freedom to be gracious to others. Instead of being concerned with what others are doing, it’s more important for us to look within our own hearts and ask the question—why am I responding in this way?
In this section on prayer, Jesus emphasizes the idea of consistent pursuit and a generous Father. Our God wants to give us good things, and we should be seeking his will for us above anything else. If we come to him consistently in faith, we will find true satisfaction, even when he may not give us what we pray for! Yes, we will still experience sadness, fear, and pain in this life, but if we trust Jesus fully, we will have peace even in the hard times.
Who in your life do you tend to be judgmental towards? How can you extend grace to that person instead?