“But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites. If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage – our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit]. We must not become conceited, challenging or provoking one another, envying one another.” Galatians 5:22-26 AMP

I’m sure we’ve all heard the expression, “Holier than thou” at one time or another. It’s a trap that we, as believers, must be VERY wary of stepping into. When we are hurting, or somehow feeling slighted by another person, it is easy to respond with a sense of haughty derision. We can find ourselves taking an attitude that says, “I would never do that to somebody,” which puts us at risk of seeing ourselves as better than the one who hurt us.

The truth is, we’re not any better than anybody else. Even those with the best of intentions can cause pain and suffering in someone they truly love. Yes, we hope desperately that our lack of malice or intent will make a difference, and the person we hold so dear will extend the forgiveness we long for deep in our hearts. But, if they can’t find the strength and love to overcome their anger towards us, we absolutely CANNOT hold that against them. They, too, are a child of God, and they are struggling on their own path in this broken down world. All we can do is respond with the love we feel for them, not the resentment, and pray that God will draw them close to Him. If it is His will, we must trust that He will restore the relationship that has been damaged.

Oh what an easy thing it is to pass judgment on somebody else…on how they dress, how they behave, how they raise their children, and so on and so on and so on. We are tempted to look at people and judge their relationship with God based on outward appearances and our own impressions. However, we do NOT, under any circumstances, have the right, the knowledge, or the understanding of their heart, with which to judge anything about them.

“Do not judge and criticize and condemn [others unfairly with an attitude of self-righteous superiority as though assuming the office of a judge], so that you will not be judged [unfairly]. For just as you [hypocritically] judge others [when you are sinful and unrepentant], so will you be judged; and in accordance with your standard of measure [used to pass out judgment], judgment will be measured to you. Why do you look at the [insignificant] speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice and acknowledge the [egregious] log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me get the speck out of your eye,’ when there is a log in your own eye?” Matthew 7:1-4 AMP

I love that passage of scripture, because it is a very plain spoken direction telling all of us that we are not to place judgment of any kind on others. It is also a warning that we will be judged against the measuring stick we create for other people. Our focus in this life is supposed to be first on living a life that shows our love for God, and second on living a life focused on loving others as we do ourselves. Nowhere in that directive are we told to pass judgment on the choices, opinions, and actions of other people. We are simply told love them.

That gets harder to do every day, especially as the world around us grows more and more contentious. However, this is just the beginning of the final ride towards to the return of our Savior. Right now the world is ruled by the enemy…he makes the rules and he plays dirty. That’s why it’s even more important that we, as followers of Christ, stand beside one another and help each other stand firm in our own beliefs. That’s why we must choose love over hate, acceptance over judgment, and forgiveness over exile. We must make the choices God wants us to make, always striving to steer clear of the choices that are accepted by the world and a result of our worldly scars.