Judging

“I’m Just Judging Fruit!”

I once heard it said when someone was rebuked for judging a fellow Christian that they were NOT judging the person just their fruit. It is a common mistake that many people make. They think they can judge the actions of a person while not judging that person so that they, the self appointed judge, are clean from judgmental sin, all the while knowing that they are just as sinful and wrong as the person they judge. Allow me a moment to clarify something if I may.

43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Luke 43-45 NIV

So, looking at the above verse we have Christ making a comparison of man kinds works compared to the fruit of a tree. Illustrating that good works come from good people and evil works come from people with evil in their hearts. It all comes down to the condition of your heart. It is not the person that defines the heart, but the heart that defines the person. What you choose to fill your heart with is a free choice you get to make. That choice then is reflected in your words and actions during your day to day life. SO your fruit is the direct reflection of your choice of good and evil and therefore can not be evaluated separate from the individual creating that metaphoric fruit. SO when you judge a persons fruit, you are judging their character, choices, decisions and state of heart. How can that NOT be judging the person? So just a word to the wise:

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37 NIV

What does this mean for the people NOT judging others? It means that if you do not see that you are blessing others then you have not filled your heart with blessings to give to others. What you fill your heart with will be the fruit you bear to others. SO if you fill your heart with the word, you will have the word to give to others. You can not fill your heart with doubt and think you will give hope to others. “Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers” Therefore fill your heart with the things you wish to give to others. Give hope to the lost, wisdom to the confused, life to the dead and peace to the troubled. Bear the Godly fruits and you will ensure YOUR fruit can stand the test of the one and only judge of mans heart/fruit, Christ Jesus.

Things to study:

Fruits of the Spirit -

Gal 5:22

Eph 5:9

Fruits of Righteousness:

• Psa 1:3; Psa 15:1-2; Psa 24:3-5; Psa 101:3-4; Psa 106:3; Psa 112:4; Psa 112:7-8
• Pro 2:7; Pro 2:11; Pro 2:20; Pro 10:2; Pro 11:5-6; Pro 11:18-19; Pro 11:30; Pro 12:28; Pro 13:6; Pro 14:34
• Isa 32:17; Isa 33:15-16; Isa 55:12-13; Isa 58:6-14
• Dan 12:3
• Hsa 10:12
• Mal 3:3; Mal 4:2
• Mat 5:20; Mat 12:35
• Jhn 8:47; Jhn 14:23; Jhn 15:4-5
• Rom 6:19-22; Rom 8:4; Rom 8:6; Rom 14:17-18
• 2Cr 5:17; 2Cr 9:10; 2Cr 10:5
• Gal 5:22-23; Gal 6:7-8
• Eph 5:9
• Phl 1:11; Phl 1:27-28; Phl 2:13
• Col 3:10
• 2Ti 2:22; 2Ti 4:8
• Phm 1:6
• Jam 3:11-18
• 2Pe 1:5-9
• 1Jo 2:3-6; 1Jo 2:10-11; 1Jo 2:24; 1Jo 2:29; 1Jo 3:3; 1Jo 3:6-7; 1Jo 3:9; 1Jo 3:14; 1Jo 3:22

Fruits of Sin:

• Gen 3:7-24; Gen 4:11-14; Gen 6:5-7
• Deu 29:18
• Job 4:8; Job 5:2; Job 13:26; Job 20:11
• Psa 5:10; Psa 9:15-16; Psa 10:2; Psa 94:23; Psa 141:10
• Pro 1:31; Pro 3:35; Pro 5:22-23; Pro 8:36; Pro 10:24; Pro 10:29-31; Pro 11:5-7; Pro 11:18-19; Pro 11:27; Pro 11:29; Pro 12:13-14; Pro 12:21; Pro 12:26; Pro 13:5; Pro 13:15; Pro 22:8; Pro 27:8; Pro 28:1; Pro 29:6; Pro 30:20
• Isa 3:9; Isa 3:11; Isa 9:18; Isa 14:21; Isa 50:11; Isa 57:20-21
• Jer 2:17; Jer 2:19; Jer 4:18; Jer 5:25; Jer 7:19; Jer 14:16; Jer 21:14
• Eze 11:21; Eze 23:31-35
• Hsa 8:7; Hsa 10:13; Hsa 12:14; Hsa 13:9
• Mic 7:13
• Mar 7:21-23
• Act 9:5
• Rom 5:12-21; Rom 7:5
• 1Cr 3:3; 1Cr 6:9-11
• Gal 5:19-21; Gal 6:7
• 1Pe 4:3

A good point borrowed froma friend

I find it confusing, for lack of a better word, how “Christians” and most people feel it is strange to be friends with an ex girlfriend, wife, lover or what ever. They consider it good to be friends, but not REAL friends. You should be social friends. Talk every so often. Maybe hang out every few months. And eventually drift apart and only have a “friendship’ through mutual contacts or children. I do admit that is easier, but not what I think God would expect of one called by His name. How many times do we walk away from Christ, only to return when we realize we didn’t want to leave? We come back, maybe not the same as we left and our relationship is different for the change, but it is no less personal. HE does not distance himself from us because we choose to leave. He welcomes us back with open arms. Why can we not do the same to the people we love that way. We ask, “What would Jesus do?” Yet choose to hate, despise and reject those we claim to have loved or still do love. I guess it is easier to believe the lie and be damned, than to accept the truth that we choose to hate because love is just so hard to do when you are hurt.

37

37 years old... WOW. I feel old and young all at the same time. My life is ever changing and never boring!!!

I have been absent from blogging for a while as things in my life got worse and better and back and forth.

I am now employed again. Working for an awesome company. I have gotten more active at church, but still missing Sunday mornings, but hope to change that soon. I am at a weird spot in my life. I can feel change coming and working on my life, I can feel positive energy about the changes, but dang if my path isn't still in the dark!! LOL

Anyway!

I will try to remember to post more frequently.