Have you ever been
guilty of assuming someone knows something only to find out they don't? Have
you ever tried to explain a situation to someone hoping for understanding only
to realize they haven't a clue as to what you are talking about? We want people
to understand along with us so we have someone that knows what we are going
through. We want people to have similar experiences so we get ask them
questions about how they react in the experience. When we realize others might
not have the same experiences it can be a bit confusing. We generally do not
like to be the lone wolf so to speak, in a situation because we can either
believe there is something wrong that we are the only one, or we can believe we
may have been singled out for something others have not. Neither scenario
brings comfort really, or rather a full understanding from others. We can't assume to know the situation of
others. We can't KNOW their walk, their individual- very personalize walk with
Christ through life. No two people ever experience something the exact same
because from the get go our different personalities will cause different
reactions. Two people facing the exact same problem will look at it from
different points of view, their own. If by chance the people seem to look at
the problem in the same way, it is all but guaranteed that down the line their
thoughts will diverge into different ideas.
We are INDIVIDUALS with individual walks with Christ and my walk is not
yours. I may look at your life and imagine that you aren't as close to God as I
am, and instantly comprehend that I have to be much further away from God
simply by having such a thought. We are NOT to judge others. Even when we judge their actions, we are not
to judge the results of their actions. I can't say that because I see someone
stealing something that they aren't God's. I can say that person committed a
wrong act, but how that affects their walk with God is between them and God.
Truly each of us is the chief of all sinners, because we can't know another's
life of sin. We are not to judge anyone
else based on our own conscience. We can try to ask if another has a similar
conscience pulling, but if they don't we can't judge them. We may be either
behind where they are in their ongoing walk with God, or in front, but it makes
no difference because there is no behind or in front as being better or worse,
but each of us walking according to our OWN learning. If we do get behind in
our OWN learning, refusing to grow for whatever reason, that is something we
have to seek forgiveness for. But to say another is behind would be only adding
to our list of things needing forgiveness, they might be exactly where they
need to be in their walk with God.
Mat 7:1 Judge
not, that ye be not judged.
Mat 7:2 For
with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete,
it shall be measured to you again.
Mat 7:3 And
why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not
the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4 Or how
wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and,
behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:5 Thou
hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou
see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
'Due to varying
degrees of knowledge in the conscience some are not conscious of sins regarded
as very great by their fellow-believers. Hence, let us not judge one another.
The Father alone knows how to handle His children. He does not expect to find
the strength of “young men” in His “little children” nor the experience of
“fathers” in the “young men.” But He does wait for each of his children to obey
Him according to what he already knows. Were we to know for sure (which is not
easy) that God has spoken to our brother on a particular matter and that our
brother has failed to listen, then we can persuade him to obey. Yet we should
never force our brother to follow what our conscience says to us. If the God of
perfect holiness does not reject us because of our past unknown sins, how can
we, on the basis of our current standard, judge our brother who only knows now
what we knew last year? In fact, in helping other people we should not coerce
obedience from them in small details but only advise them to follow faithfully
the dictate of their own conscience. If their volition yields to God they will
obey Him when the Holy Spirit sheds light on the words clearly written in the
Bible. As long as his volition is yielded, a believer will follow God’s desire the
moment his conscience receives light. The same is applicable to ourselves. We
should not overextend ourselves to the point of exciting the strength of our
soul to understand truths beyond our present capacity. If we are disposed to
obey today’s voice of God, we are considered acceptable. On the other hand, we
should not restrain ourselves from searching any truth which the Holy Spirit
may lead us intuitively to search. Such restraint would mean lowering our
standard of holiness. In a word, there is no problem for that one who is
willing to walk by the spirit.'
The Spiritual Man-
by Watchman Nee (Excerpt)
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