For if we would judge ourselves we should not be judged.
(1 Cor. 11:31)
Have you ever felt judged by somebody? Let’s face it, nobody likes to be judged. The good news is that you have the option of judging yourself. The bad news is that judging yourself is really hard to do.
One of the signs of a mature Christian is that they have an internal compass, they have the ability to judge themselves. Think about it, a young toddler does not have the ability to judge himself. He doesn’t know that it’s wrong to throw his toy truck at his sister.
The key to spiritual growth is the ability to do self-examination.
About fifteen years ago I was asking the Lord about some things I had in my heart that were not coming to pass.
I was hoping the Lord would say something like, “In a few weeks someone is going to give you a million dollars and you will be able to accomplish your vision,” but that is not how He responded.
This is what He said to me. “If you don’t judge yourself in your weight and diet you will not see your vision come to pass.” Ouch! That really hurt.
At first I thought the Lord was telling me that people won’t follow a fat guy, but then I realized what He meant. “If I don’t judge myself in this area I won’t live long enough to finish my course.” At this point in time I was up to 350 pounds and it was affecting my health.
Did the Lord tell me to judge myself just to put me down? No! He wants me to live a long time on the earth. I had to make some big changes in order to judge myself in this area and I am still continuing to judge myself.
Sometimes I eat something that I shouldn’t. Do I feel guilty about it? No. How do I judge myself then? By hitting the treadmill. Judging yourself is really hard to do, but it is always in your best interest.
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Pastor and Leadership Coach, Mark Harper has 35 years of experience in the local church. He is the creator of the Super Church 2.0 Curriculum, which is used in over 5,000 churches worldwide. The focus of Mark's ministry is helping leaders build strong churches and helping parents build strong families. Not only has Mark served in the local church as pastor, associate pastor, and family ministry pastor but he is also a certified coach with the John Maxwell Team. He also recently released the Amazon Best Selling book The Red Book: The Lifeblood of Children's Ministry.