Judging the judger

Could you be a judge and get paid to judge people more harshly? Recently I read a story about a judge who did that. This judge was taking money from a juvenal detention center so that kids would be shipped to this facility. The problem: they were extremely minor offenses and were followed by long sentences.

A quote from one of the people whose life was changed forever Laurene Transue said this about this Judge (Ciavarella)…."He was playing God. And not only was he doing that, he was getting money for it. He was betraying the trust put in him to do what is best for children.”

The rest of this article can be read here.

This was a messed up story. Kids lives were ruined because of one judge. Often we as people can get wrapped into judging was we don’t like. Someone disagrees with our take on life and we cast that person aside.

Christians are often thrown under this bus as being extremely judgmental because of our take on life. While someone Christians go way overboard with this judging, some leave the judging to God. Being a Christian doesn’t make us the judger we are just following the rules of the one that created the judge.

Paul said this in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

Paul try to do this by living his life to go to heaven and hear “Well done, My good servant,” from Luke 19:17.  He looks at this not as a heaven and hell but rather how we lived our lives we will be judged and we will be compensated. Going to heaven or hell is an individual faith issue. We don’t have the ability to chose who goes to heaven or hell, but God does. Paul lets us know our good deeds will have one response (1 Cor. 4:5, Eph. 6:8) and our bad have another response (1 Cor. 3:15; Col. 3:25).

This judging that Paul face changed his outlook on life, what does it do for you? Knowing that Paul was going to face judgment made him strive to do good things and overcome the hatred, personal attacks and threats on his life. When you face bad situations in your life, do you do good or bad?

The judge who put young kids in bad situations. Got 28 years in jail. He reaped what he sowed. How are you going to live your life knowing one day you will be judged accordingly?

Have a great day.

Who am I to judge?

Judge is an interesting word. People judge other people all the time. Some by saying they disagree with what another person would wear. Maybe differing parenting techniques or mentioning how many kids someone else has and they shouldn’t have anymore. Judging can go a lot deeper than this when it comes to people and their view on hot topic issues like homosexuality or politics. Some might bring up the question, “Who am I to judge?” In the Christian attitude it happens all the time, only God can judge I am just supposed to love people. Is that the way we are supposed to live our lives as Christians?

To start with this we have to look at what judging means…to form an opinion about through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premises…to determine or pronounce after inquiry and deliberation…to form an estimate or evaluation of…to hold as an opinion.

What do you think can Christians judge? This is what Paul shares in 1 Corinthians 5:12-13…

“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”

First thought, this is a harsh form of judgment. Yet the situation is dealing with a Christian who was sleeping with a relative which went against Old Testament and Roman law. The church was doing nothing to stop it, therefore Paul had the harsh words for the people. When we look at our own lives and the definitions, I think we can judge but in a loving way. We have to think it through what we want to say and look at all different perspectives esp. considering we too are sinners.

How do you judge people? Is it out of anger and bitterness or do you evaluate the situation? It reminds me of the verse James 1:19. Think about how you respond to people. Have a great day.

Go Daddy….Calvin Klein…seriously?

In Rome they asked if sin glorified God statue, so why not go on sinning? If God created what is sin and what isn’t, by us sinning we lift up how God is awesome compared to us. Some people would continue to sin. Wrong answer.

Sin shows us we are people of mistakes. We struggle and fall short of people, but there is nothing about following God and sinning on purpose. We lift up God with our lives and try to glorify him. When we watch commercials that I would relate to watching softcore porn, is that lifting up God? Now I am not saying we should tear these companies apart, but it might persuade you  not to purchase their products and say it’s because of values God set for us. Christians try to do the good things God did for us. Grace, forgiveness and compassion and we can still have that for companies, but when you don’t look at what you are doing as wrong, that is between you can God, but I don’t have to purchase what you are selling because you are selling sex.

Have a great day.