James 2:13 “…and mercy rejoiceth against judgment”
Christian causes and accomplishments are properly advanced through actions of wisdom being chosen over actions of judgment.
To have perfect judgment, there must be a perfect judge with perfect knowledge, insight, authority, and motives. Thus, we do not qualify to be the judge of other men.
When a person is having a problem, they should only be burdened with the task of finding the right answer for their problem. Wisdom shed abroad by another will greatly aid this. But imperfect judgments passed by imperfect judges against them, leaves them in the impossible position of coming up with the many answers required to satisfy all the suspicions, doubts, accusations, rumors, and bad feelings that the judgments of others have raised against them. Thus they have no peace or opportunity to find the one answer they really need. The best way is to shed light abroad for others to be able to see.
Once we pass judgment on someone, we develop a mindset toward them based on our judgment of them. This mindset limits our actions towards them to that which satisfies our feelings of judgment concerning them. So this shifts our response toward them from really doing what could be a help to them, unto an action based on what is pleasing to our judgment of them, no matter how imperfect that may be.
Such is the case in the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37.) The priest (Luke 10:31) and the Levite (Luke 10:32) both passed by the victim because of what their own judgment of his situation was. But the Samaritan, without limiting his response to any judgments he would make as to why the victim was naked and wounded on the wayside, chose to use wisdom to see what was needed and to choose the wisest course of action to meet that need. The Lord credited him as being the only one of the three men who rightfully fulfilled his neighborly duties.
Christ’s command is to love one another as He has loved us – John 13:34. We will miss the mark here if we give ourselves unto the responses that our imperfect judgment of others would call for. Rather, we need to exercise mercy instead of judgment, so that we remain free to prescribe the unsearchable riches of the wisdom of God’s Word and to have no dictates, other than seeking and finding more wisdom from God.
We should require of ourselves to exercise mercy, rather than judgment when we think we have seen fault and failure in our brethren. Thus, resisting doing the things that the feelings of our judgment would cry out for, we purpose to do only those things that will shed abroad greater light and understanding from the Lord to enable our brother to see and act in faith and hope.
Judgment will incline us to fixate on the problem. Mercy will wisely employ us in striving for the right solution for deliverance.
SHARING
