Page 8 - Have Faith Oct_Neat

Day 6 & 7 You shall be judged as you judge...

Judgement... Matthew 7 & John 8
Wow, I feel that I'm walking in a minefield with causing so many problems and bad feelings.
this one. One of the hardest topics to speak Judging others is such a dangerous practice
about is Judgement. Mainly because we are mainly because the standards we judge peo-
all guilty of this at some point. It is something ple with, we rarely meet ourselves. Yet again
that we will do for many reasons. To display that saying from Jesus comes to mind. "Let
our feelings and emotions, to let someone him without sin cast the first stone". The Bible
know how wrong they are, sometimes to let is very clear on this subject. You only have to
others know what someone has done or what read Matthew 7 in the New Testament to see
they are like. Social media is a hotbed for what I mean. It states, Judge and you shall
this. Everyday I see it, facebook especially. I be judged. There is also a good passage
remember how judging and being judged about wiping the dust from your brothers eye.
was such a big problem while we were serv- That's really worth reading. I do realise that
ing in Northern Ireland. Every time we left the this is part of our makeup and sometimes we
camp we were suspicious of everybody, mak- do this to protect ourselves from harm. We
ing us look at the public with extreme caution are all very guilty of it, I am not saying every-
wondering if they were terrorists. This lead to body should stop it immediately, this would
stereotyping innocent people. On the other be very hypocritical and unrealistic but there
side, we were seen as the enemy by some, is no harm in allowing yourself to stop and
aggressive soldiers come to dominate their think and ask yourself that old question
country. Of course this was not the case but again. "Am I in a position to throw the first
this practice of judging and being judged was stone?" I certainly am not.

Ask... Matthew 7: 7-12
From the day we are born we have this amaz- my comical downfall on a number of occa-
ing ability to learn. Our minds, like computers, sions but due to the fear of me looking a right
can process and store all kinds of information berk on this reflection, I shall keep them to
that can be made available at any time. The myself. The wonderful thing about talking to
great thing here is we don't have to push any God and asking him for help is you'll never
buttons to access it. But what happens when look silly. You can ask him about anything you
we try to search our database and cannot find like. You can speak to him about your darkest
the information we are after? Our back up and deepest thoughts and you will never have
system kicks in which will access data from to worry about what he thinks. One of the
external sources. In simple terms, when we amazing things I have found that when I do
don't know the answer, we ask. We can ask talk to him everything is silent. I like to think
for advice, we can ask for directions, we can that it's because he is listening to everything
ask for help, in fact there is a whole universe we say and he doesn't want to miss anything.
of things we can ask for. But how many times God's love for us means that no matter what
have you felt that you have missed the boat time of day or night, no matter what the cir-
just because you haven't asked a question cumstances are, we can ask him for his help,
because you were too embarrassed, too shy, love, grace and forgiveness and he will be
didn't want to look silly in front of others or there to listen. It's very comforting to think that
maybe just couldn't be bothered? Personally, he is there at the end of our very own private
I have done this more times than I am com- line using our hearts as his switchboard. Just
fortable with. Peer pressure in the army was ask.

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