You can often pinpoint your own flaws by what you point out in others. I've found that what I hate in people is usually just a mirror of what is inside me.  It’s funny how easy it is to feel better than everyone else while looking down our noses at others. But self-righteousness isn’t a microscope. It is a mirror, and when we point a finger at someone else’s flaws, we have three fingers pointing back at us.

Jesus Christ was a carpenter and worked with wood a lot. He told a story involving a speck of saw dust, a long plank, and an eye:

(Matthew 7:1-5 NKJV)  "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

So, this person was walking about with a 6x6 post sticking out of their eye while concerned about a speck of sawdust in their neighbor's eye. Impressive. 

Jesus dealt with this constantly. He spent most of His time talking to the outcasts and getting into arguments with the establishment. In Luke 18, He told a story about two men going up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee—the kind of guy who had his life together on paper, followed every rule, and made sure everyone else knew he was doing it. The other was a tax collector, a man despised by society, someone who had spent his life taking more than he gave.

The Pharisee stood there and prayed, but really, he was just talking to himself and those around him. He thanked God that he wasn’t like other people. Not like extortioners, or adulterers… and definitely not like that tax collector standing over there. He listed his resume: he fasted twice a week, he tithed on everything. He was checking all the boxes. Meanwhile, the tax collector couldn’t even bring himself to look up. He just beat his chest and said, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”

Jesus was clear about who actually got right with God that day. The tax collector who came in humble left justified, while the Pharisee who came in arrogant left just as he had come. Because anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

We see this play out in our own lives, too. I wish I had known this when I was young: when we judge others or look down on their circumstances, we open the door for those same circumstances to find us. It is God's law, and it works like gravity. Maybe when we were young, we looked down on someone who struggled with their weight, only to find ourselves fighting that same battle ten years later. Maybe we laughed at someone’s financial mistakes, then watched our own accounts hit zero because of a bad decision.

That is poetic justice:

(Galatians 6:7 NKJV)  Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

There seems to be a spiritual blindness associated with judgment. I have had people condemn us for having a cup of coffee, with something like, "God told me to avoid stimulants like that!" Then find out that it was because they preferred heroin in the morning. Or, "I never touch alcohol!" because they would rather have meth in the afternoon. Note: Your upbringing may be different from mine, but I bet you can tell me stories from your own life. 

(Luke 6:37-38 NKJV)  "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

I find it interesting that Jesus lumped judgment, condemnation, forgiveness, and giving into one paragraph. These are all things that can bring returns. 

Now, some people take the words “Judge not” and turn them into a free pass to do whatever they want. They use it as a shield to avoid accountability, "Don't judge me!" But let’s be clear: Jesus was not prohibiting us from making judgments at all. He is requiring our judgment to be fair. He is saying don’t judge with a crooked standard—one you would hate to have turned back on you. That is where the hypocrisy kicks in. We are to remove the plank from our eye so we can see clearly, then we can see to remove the speck from our brother's eye (Matthew 7:3-5). We condemn others for the exact same things we excuse in ourselves, but God does not allow that. He sees right through our act, and will use the same measuring stick on us that we use on our neighbors.

(Romans 2:1-3 NKJV)  Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?

I had a friend once who took (Luke 6:37) literally: "Judge not, and you shall not be judged," and he applied it to his life without exception. He simply refused to look down on others. I watched the LORD show him incredible grace and favor. He let him escape judgment even when he deserved it. People would shoot at him and miss. I wrote the devotional "Amazing Grace" about a ride in his Camaro one day when we ran into a huge road check outside town. It was the blue light special. His driver's license had been suspended. He had no insurance and an illegal license tag. The muffler was dragging. There was a bag of pot under the floor mat. A state trooper walked into the middle of the highway preparing to stop us, then he suddenly waved us on through and stopped the car behind us. 

We drove home uneventfully and in awe. I could hardly believe it, but my friend just smiled. I talked with him about it, and his motto was "Never judge anyone." He took "Judge not, and you shall not be judged" literally. It certainly seemed to work for him, for he had great grace in his life. In fact, he later painted that on the gas tank of his motorcycle: "Great Grace." Grace is the unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor of God.

Even though I wasn't really into church at the time, I learned that having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is priceless anytime, anywhere. I am not saying that any of this was right, for most of it was certainly wrong. But, I was just a passenger. I don't do drugs, and my car is insured. I am just telling you what happened that day. That brother loved God dearly, served God just as he was, where he was, tried not to judge others, and God showed him mercy and favor. For love covers a multitude of sins. You don't have to be perfect to walk with Jesus.

The Bible tells us to “be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful” (Luke 6:36 NKJV). That mercy is not weakness. I think Al Capone put it best when he said, “Do not mistake my kindness for weakness.” God is kind even to His enemies, but He is never weak. When we choose to stop judging and start forgiving, we aren’t being soft. We are aligning ourselves with how God operates.

So, if you find yourself looking down on someone today, stop. Look at your own hands. Look at your own history. Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future.

Remember that God is looking down on all of us, and whether we are rich or poor, young or old, we all stand on the same ground when the dust settles.

So do yourself a favor, and drop the stone. Walk a mile in their shoes before you decide where they belong. Because if you keep planting seeds of judgment, don't be surprised when your own harvest time comes.

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your endless mercy toward me. I am sorry if I have looked down on others while ignoring my own faults. Please cleanse my heart of pride and help me to see people through Your eyes. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!