A Right Judgement

"Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgement."
John 7:24
"You judge by human standards; I pass judgement on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me."
John 8:15&16

It is human nature to make judgements. As much as we would like to say, "We don't judge anyone," it is simply not true. We judge everything and everyone. If we see a person dressed differently than us, we comment on them in a negative way. When we observe those who are of a different nationality, we judge their lifestyle. When we see difficult times come to a person or family, we judge by making our own determination as to why the trouble has come. Even when we face our own troubles, we judge by attempting to figure it out. Often, we judge incorrectly because our judgement comes from our own perspective. It is produced by things we have been taught and through things we have lived through ourselves.
    The problem with judging in this way is that we judge by appearances. We draw a conclusion based on what we can see with our eyes and hear with our ears. All the words in the above scripture were spoken by Jesus. Notice in John 8:15, Jesus said, "You judge by human standards." So this is the real issue. Judging in this way is really a matter of pride. Because the situation or the person does not match what we think or believe, we cast a judgement. This puts us in a position that is not rightfully ours. God is the judge and he is always perfect in his judgements.
    We can gain insight into a situation or another person in only one way. Jesus said that he passed judgement on no one. When he said this, he was expressing the fact that he refused to judge based on human experience and emotion. The only judgements he made were based on what the Father told him. So it was not the judgement of a man, but the judgement of God himself. We have a source that flows from the throne of God. That source is the Holy Spirit. He empowers the Word of God to speak to us, and he lives in us, continually speaking to our hearts. We cannot judge on our own, but we can gain insight into situations, even other people, through the source we have, the precious Holy Spirit.
    We need to stop judging. We even judge God. When a difficult circumstance comes our way, we somehow believe that we could better dictate our situation. We think that God is unfair in bringing certain things into our lives, therefore, we judge him. Allow me to reiterate the words of Jesus, "Stop judging by mere appearances." God is the judge, not us. God is the author of our lives and circumstances, not us. God is the creator of all people, not us. So where do we get the idea that these things are ours to judge? They are not. Let us instead listen carefully to the voice of God revealed to us through the Holy Spirit. Insights will be revealed that will bring us understanding. Let's rely on that and allow God be the judge. This is the right judgement!