Judging Others

Romans 14:10 
You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. (NIV) 

It is so easy to judge others based on the filter of our life. We do things in a certain way, but that way may not work for others we know or meet. God made each of us in His image, but He also made us as individuals. And the word individual means that we are not the same as anyone else.

It is not only that our fingerprints, retinas, and ear patterns are unique. We are not the same, even if we were born a twin.

We are made up of the DNA inherited from our forefathers and the experiences we had growing up and all through life up to right now. And that all makes up the filter we use to view others and their behaviors.

But we do not have the right to do that. Only God will judge. Don't get me wrong. If we see a brother or sister we have a relationship with doing something harmful to their salvation or another, we do have the right to speak with them.

Sin cannot be left out in the open or it will become as though it were no longer sin. Over the past fifty years society has looked the other way and more and more sinful practices have become "normal". We must speak up when these sins are allowed amongst the brethren.

The practices of one church may not be the same as our church, but that does not mean they are wrong. It means we are different while both following Jesus. The same hold true of another believer; the key is our belief in Jesus Christ as Lord over all.