We’ve all heard people say it… usually in a loud voice no less.

Where does the conversation tend to go after that?

“I’m not!”

“Yes you are, how dare you?  Jesus said ‘judge not lest ye be judged’ and you’re judging me!”

Blah blah blah…

It is important to keep two things firmly in our minds:  1. Jesus did say that.  The “judge not” however had nothing to do with using judgment, it had everything to do with condemnation; we’re not to condemn, that’s God’s job.  Nobody who reads the New Testament with anything approaching understanding would claim that we are not supposed to use good judgment in every situation, and nobody would say that we are supposed to compromise what is right and call it not judging.

That brings us to the second thing we must keep in mind:  People don’t usually get into the whole “you’re judging me” thing unless they are doing something they know to be wrong.  Oh, yes, when you are caught with your hand in the cookie jar, it’s a great argument tactic to change the subject and accuse the person who caught you.

Love, patience, calm and truth will overcome the lie in time.  Being run off the pathway with bluster and debate tricks will never lead to the truth.