We Are Not Fit to Judge

In Psalm 98, the psalmist praises the judge of the world.

Psalm 98:9 (NRSVue) - for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.

In John 5, Jesus explains his authority as judge.

John 5:30 (NRSVue) - As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

The right to judge is within the authority of the Lord.

It is not within our authority.

Yet daily we judge our neighbors by our own standards.

We judge based on our own set of prejudices, limited experiences and even our moods.

We even judge based on superficial things such as appearance.

We judge, not knowing what is going on in their lives.

We are warned not to judge.

Matthew 7:1 (NRSVue) - Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.

Surely, this is reason enough.

But beyond this, we are not fit to judge.

Only the Lord is fit to judge.

The Lord does not see others as we see them.

The Lord sees with justice.

He also sees with dignity and mercy.

Fortunately, that is also the way the Lord sees us.

Romans 8:1-2 (NRSVue) - Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, July 24, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, August 7, 2026

Gifts Should Give

I will be teaching an adult class in June.

This is something I do every year and I always look forward to it.

That said, it is something I never take lightly.

Scripture is quite clear on the matter of teaching.

James 3:1 (NET) - Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, because you know that we will be judged more strictly.

So, why would anyone choose to teach knowing they will be judged more strictly?

Thankfully, scripture addresses this as well.

The twelfth chapter of the book of Romans discusses the various gifts given to us.

It also tells us what we are to do with them.

Romans 12:6- 8 (NET) - And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach; if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.

Here scripture reminds us that we “must” use whatever gifts God has generously bestowed upon us.

I take great comfort in this as I prepare for this class.

Even though it is still weeks away, I am actively preparing for this class.

Although I am familiar with the subject matter, I am using the time I have wisely.

Scripture also reminds us of the importance of being prepared.

After all, Noah began constructing the ark long before the first raindrops fell.

Hebrews 11:7a (NET) - By faith Noah, when he was warned about things not yet seen, with reverent regard constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family.

There is one unknown I face every year.

I never know how many or how few students I will have until the class meets.

Some years the attendance is large.

Some years it is small.

However many or few attend, they will receive the best I can offer.

After all, we certainly will not be alone.

Scripture is clear on that as well.

Matthew 18:20 (NET) - For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.

Put your gift from God into use.

If you have not yet discovered what that gift is, why not talk to Him about it right now?

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 27, 2018.

I’ll be back here on Friday, May 4, 2018

Choices Matter

Most of the driving I do is on the highway,

There are several spots along my commute where traffic becomes rather intense.

I can normally count on at least a few drivers taking some unnecessary and even dangerous risks.

There is one thing I have learned about these drivers from experience.

Drivers in certain makes of cars appear more likely to take unnecessary chances.

Certainly one might expect this from drivers of high performance sports cars.

Their vehicles have more horsepower and greater acceleration.

Yet these drivers are not the only ones that are willing to take more risks.

I have also learned that some drivers of cars with high safety ratings also fall into this category.

Perhaps over time their sense of sense of security begins to make them feel invulnerable and thus willing to take more risks.

People can also live their lives in similar ways.

Many unbelievers think this world is the only reality they will ever face.

Similar to the drivers of some sports cars, they rush through this world at a blistering pace.

They disregard the fact that the choices they make in this world will have consequences in the next.

They are by no means the only risk takers.

Some who consider themselves believers begin to live life as dangerously, perhaps even more so.

Just like some drivers of safer cars, they live life as if consequences no longer apply to them.

In their way of thinking, since Jesus died for their sins they can live any way they wish.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The choices we make in this world will have consequences in the next.

In Matthew 25:32 – 40, Jesus explains this when he compares judgment to a shepherd who separates sheep from goats.

The goats which are placed on the left represent those who are not saved.

The sheep which are placed on the right represent those who are.

In this world some will choose to be among the goats.

We are obligated to try to reach them, but ultimately the choice is theirs.

There will also be those who go through this world incorrectly assuming they are among the sheep.

Only in the end, when it is too late, will they discover just how much the choices they made in this world really mattered.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Judged More Strictly

James 3:1 (NET) – Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, because you know that we will be judged more strictly.

If there is one passage of scripture that weighs heavily on me, it comes in this warning from James.

Teaching, whether in my church or in my blogs, is one of the great joys in my life.

But, regardless of the pleasure it brings me, the warning from James could not be clearer.

Those who teach will be judged more strictly.

Since that is the case, why would anyone even consider taking on such a task?

The answer can be found in the book of Romans.

In it we are told that we have different gifts according to the grace given to us.

Furthermore, we are told that we “must” use those gifts in proportion to our faith.

This includes teaching.

Romans 12:7 (NET) – If it is service, he must serve. If it is teaching, he must teach;

When people think of “a calling” they primarily associate it with a call to preach.

Yet each of the gifts discussed in Romans is, in reality, a call from God.

Each is a call to serve Him and to bring Him glory.

This is also applies to teaching.

Teaching is much more than the act of transferring knowledge from one individual to another.

It is also meant to glorify God in the process.

Another thing that helps me cope with the warning from James lies in preparation.

In an age where so many things compete for time and attention, I know that time must be set aside for preparation.

I dare not attempt to teach without being well prepared.

That preparation must include prayer as well as study.

That prayer must include a petition to the Holy Spirit.

It must be a prayer for both guidance and resilience.

It must be for the long haul regardless of how many or how few we are given to teach.

One of the groups I teach in rotation has grown smaller over the years.

Age has taken its toll and this group that was once large has now diminished to a faithful few.

So few in fact that one of its members recently suggested to me disbanding so that we would not have to prepare for such a small group.

The other teachers I have spoken to feel as I do.

We will continue to teach this class no matter how many or how few are able to attend.

Scripture has a reminder for us there as well.

Matthew 18:20 (NET) – For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.

The words of James contain a sober warning, but in the end there is nothing I or any other teacher for the Lord would rather do.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Misjudgment

Scripture provides us with a very clear warning about judgment.

Luke 6:37 (NET) - "Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven."


If asked why we are not to judge, my answer would be twofold.

First, and most obviously, we are told not to judge and this, in and of itself, is sufficient.

It is the Lord’s place to judge, not ours.

But, if pressed for a secondary reason, I would offer that as human beings we have the all too human capacity to be wrong.

A coworker, for example, would likely base his or her judgment by what transpires in the workplace.

Likewise, a teacher would be prone to base his or her judgment by what goes on during the school day.

Even a fellow church member would likely base his or her judgment on the few hours per week of contact they have with a another member.

These are but a few examples and I could cite many more.

Without constant contact with another person, we really have only a glimpse at best of who that person really is or what is going on in their lives.

Scripture also provides us with some examples of people that were misjudged.

Often, they were misjudged because they were not like what people anticipated.

John the Baptist provided us with an excellent example of that.

Matthew 3:4 (NET) - Now John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.


John the Baptist played a pivotal role in scripture preparing the way for Jesus.

Yet because of his outward appearance he was easily misjudged by others.

Scripture even reminds us that some of its greatest men were capable of incorrect assumptions.

This was true of Samuel.

Samuel was sent by God to Jesse to anoint God’s chosen leader to replace Saul.

Jesse and his sons were consecrated.

When Samuel saw Eliab he was certain that Eliab was God’s chosen.

Samuel was incorrect.

1 Samuel 16:7 (NET) - But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don’t be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. People look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."


If it was possible for a man like Samuel to be incorrect in his assessment, what does that say for us?

It is clear that it is the Lord’s place to judge.

This is true because He alone is Lord.

It is also true because He sees what you and I cannot possibly see.

He sees what is in the heart.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Don't Get Burned

I've long thought that one of the most striking passages in the New Testament is Hebrews 12:29: "For our God is a consuming fire."  Such compelling images this brings to mind!  What does it mean?  Does the passage refer to the "fire" of a zealous servant of God, or the fire of His judgment?  Some of both, perhaps, but examination of the context suggests that it's probably more of the latter.

Let's see the passage in context:

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28, 29)

The writer here quotes Moses' admonition to his people in Deuteronomy 4:

Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.
For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
When thou . . . shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger: . . . ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.  (Deuteronomy 4:23-26)

How, then, to avoid that "consuming fire"?

But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.  (Deuteronomy 4:29-31)

The lesson seems quite clear: If we turn away from God to worship other things--ourselves, our selfish needs and desires--and pursue evil, God's guidance and protection will not be with us, and we will ultimately suffer destruction and death from the forces of this world. But if we seek God diligently and obey His voice, serving Him "acceptably with reverence and godly fear," in the words of Hebrews, the Lord will not forsake us in the hour of tribulation, but preserve us in His unmovable kingdom.  That this critically important lesson from the Old Testament is repeated in the New puts to rest any idea that our salvation through Christ releases us from the moral obligations of the Law, as some kind of license to sin. While God is very merciful and loving, he will not overlook willful disobedience, but will bring to destruction those who despise His commandments.

So, let us do as Hebrews enjoins and "have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." Let us do His will faithfully and humbly, honoring Him by obeying His commandments and serving others before ourselves. Then, the "fire" that consumes us will be that of God's love and of true zeal in His service!

Tom Fleming
Songs of Praises

What to Do?

Almost a year ago, I was approached and asked to take a leadership position.

After much consideration and prayer, I accepted.

One thing that bothered me then still bothers me today.

How can one be discerning without becoming judgmental?

On one hand scripture tells us to be discerning.

Hebrews 5:14 (NET) - But solid food is for the mature, whose perceptions are trained by practice to discern both good and evil.

On the other hand, Jesus reminds us not to judge.

Matthew 7:1-2 (NET) - "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive."

This is something I have thought about for a very long time.

It has been the focus of some lively debates I have had with Christian friends from all over.

There has to be a line somewhere between discernment and judgment.

This line is not always to see from a human perspective.

Very seldom is one side of the line black and the other white.

Too often one side of the line is gray while the other side appears equally gray, again, from a human perspective.

This can be particularly troublesome when one is in a position of leadership.

At what point does one cross the line and go from being discerning to becoming judgmental.

There are two passages of scripture I have found to be a tremendous source of guidance.

One comes courtesy of Paul.

1 Corinthians 13:2 (NET) - And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

Regardless of the situation, I must proceed with love in my heart.

The second passage comes from Jesus in the eighth chapter of the Gospel of John.

In this passage, the Pharisees bring a woman to Jesus and tell him that she has been caught committing adultery,

They remind Jesus that the law of Moses demands that she be stoned to death.

What was His response?

John 8:7 (NET) - When they persisted in asking Him, He stood straight up and replied, "Whoever among you is guiltless may be the first to throw a stone at her."

One by one, her accusers walked away until only she and Jesus remained.

John 8:10-11 (NET) - Jesus stood straight up and said to her, "Woman, Where are they? Did no one condemn you?" She replied, "No one Lord." And Jesus said. "I do not condemn you either. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore."

Those last sentences of Jesus speak volumes to me.

By telling her not to sin anymore he acknowledges her guilt.

His preceding statement emphasizes the fact that He did not condemn her.

Jesus put her on the right path, but He did so in a very kind and very loving way.

That is the kind of love Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians.

Christian love can keep me from crossing the line from discernment into judgment even if I cannot readily identify where that line is.

That is the kind of love scripture dictates we should have for each other.

Jesus showed that kind of love to the woman.

He showed that kind of love to us as well.

By the way...

There is one more verse that I bear in mind.

I have found this passage to be a good reminder in almost every situation.

Romans 3:23 (NET) - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

The last time I checked, "I" am still very much a part of "all".


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/