Critical People Part 3

Matthew 7:1-5. Here is a sobering truth – We will be judged in accordance to how we judge. Who will judge us and when? Perhaps the Lord is saying that others will judge us now in accordance to how we judge. Perhaps He is saying that others will see us as a hypocrite when we are severely critical of others while ignoring our own faults. Or perhaps the Lord is saying that the Father will judge us in the end in accordance to how we have judged. Perhaps He is saying that the Father will withhold His grace from us when we have withheld our grace from others. Jesus went on to say – Matthew 7:12a “Do for others what you would like them to do for you.” Love others the way you want to be loved. Be gracious to others the way you want others to be gracious to you. Pray for others the way you want others to pray for you. Seek to help others the way you want others to seek to help you. This reminds me of a little story I heard many years ago. It seems that a train pulled up and a traveler got off. He walked up to a man standing nearby and asked him what kind of people lived in that town. The man replied – ‘What kind of people were in the town you came from?’ The visitor quickly said, ‘Oh they were the meanest, cruelest, most stuck-up kind of people you would ever want to meet. That’s why I left!’ The man thought for a moment and then he said, ‘Perhaps you should keep traveling. I feel pretty sure you’re going to find the folks here the same.’ That man understood what Jesus said – “For you will be treated as you treat others.”]]>