Judge Not Yourself

Read these words from Psalm 50 (vs 4-6)

He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: "Gather to me my faithful ones, who  made a covenant with me by sacrifice!"  The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge.

I read this in conjunction with a devotional written by Sarah Howell in Disciplines 2015; her thoughts sparked mine.

So often we say, "judge not."  While we may not always follow what we say, I think we understand the ideal that we are to leave the judgement of others to God.  God is the judge; we are not.  We don't obey - we are often judgmental - but I think when push comes to shove, we know we shouldn't be.

Have you considered this: "The light that shines upon us gives us the opportunity to examine ourselves; to seek forgiveness, reconciliation, right relationship with God and one another - but in the end, we judge neither our neighbors nor ourselves."

God shines a light on the way we live our lives, and we are called to repentance - to turn around and come back to God.  This is a kind of grace, not a judgment.  Many of us are very harsh with ourselves, and our self-judgment can get in the way of doing God's work.  God offers grace, but there are times when we turn away and do not accept it because we judge ourselves to be unworthy.  Leave the judgment where it belongs - don't judge other and don't judge yourself.  If you recognize sin in your life, turn back to God, and find the grace that is offered.  And accept the forgiveness that is given to you.  Leave all the rest up to God.