Edition 37
Judge for Yourself
Last Edition Recap
How have you applied the last edition to your life?
Opening Prayer
Father God, lead us into a deeper understanding of Your greatness and role as The Great Judge; teach us to respect and apply Your teaching for our own sake. Amen.
Introduction
The truth is twofold: none of us want to be judged, but we all judge. Social media has cultivated an “acceptable” culture of judgementalism. No longer are judgments reserved as quiet individual thoughts; now, barrages of judgments are unashamedly blasted across the internet. One judgmental comment creates a tsunami of judgments causing devastation throughout the world. Terry Cooper writes: “We may not consciously be aware that tearing down others can inflate ourselves. Yet the underlying message is something like, ‘I wouldn’t think of doing such a thing,’ or ‘I could never do that.’ We are noting how utterly different we are from these people or how we would simply never sink to their level. Criticising others is not just an offensive move against them; it is also a defensive move to protect our own ‘purity.’ When we are judgmental, therefore, we need other people’s faults in order to dodge our own. Stated simply, judgmental thinking is addicted to other people’s faults.” Michael J. Fox said, “The least amount of judging we can do, the better off we are.” Yet scroll through any comment section—the addiction is everywhere. We judge to feel superior, to deflect from our own failures, to belong to the “right” tribe. Meanwhile, Jesus says simply: “Do not judge.”
Chat Point 1
Has anyone ever judged you unfairly, and how did that judgment affect your relationship?
How did being judged make you feel about yourself and the person judging you?
When you’ve judged someone else, how do you think it made them feel?
Why do we feel we have the right to judge but not to be judged?
If Jesus was on social media, would He judge or not judge, and why?
Read
Matthew 7:1-6, 1 Peter 4:1-11
Key Focus
Matthew 7:2 – “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Chat Point 2
What stood out about Jesus’s teaching on judgment and the principle of reciprocal measurement?
How have you witnessed the devastation that judgementalism creates, especially online?
Why do we judge one another so easily when we despise being judged ourselves?
What’s the difference between judging someone and holding them accountable?
In light of this discussion, what does it mean to “judge for yourself” rather than judging others?
Final Thought
“When you are too busy loving people, you do not have time to judge them.” The Facebook judges. The Twitter tribunal. The Instagram inquisition. We’ve democratised judgment whilst forgetting we’re not the Judge. Cooper’s insight stings: we need other people’s faults to dodge our own. Every harsh comment, every superior observation, every “I would never” is really saying “Please don’t look at me.” We’re addicted to other people’s failures because they make ours seem smaller. But Jesus flips the script: the measure you use will be measured to you. That harsh standard you apply to others becomes your own judgment. That grace you withhold becomes the grace withheld from you. The speck-hunting whilst log-carrying isn’t just hypocrisy—it’s self-destruction. Social media hasn’t created judgementalism; it’s simply revealed how deeply it runs in human hearts. One comment becomes an avalanche because we’re all desperate to stand on higher ground, even if it means climbing on others’ backs. “Judge for yourself” doesn’t mean become your own moral authority. It means examine yourself by the standard you apply to others. Would you survive your own judgment? Would you want your failures broadcast with the same glee you broadcast others’? The least amount of judging we can do, the better off we are—not just for them, but for us.
My Action
What key insight or learning from this session resonates most with me, and what do I sense God is inviting me to do in response?
Shared Prayer
What are your prayer requests?
Closing Prayer
Lord God, You alone are the almighty Judge; forgive us for the times we have judged and help us to stop judging. Amen.
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In-Between Chats: Personal Reflection
Would you want to be judged by the same standard you judge others—honestly assess yourself?
What must you do this week to prevent being a judgmental person, especially online?
Who have you judged recently that you need to extend grace toward instead?
Edition Writer: Rev Kevin Zondagh
Methodist Minister, Personal Development Specialist, Life Coach, Relationship Coach and Executive Coach. Founder and Owner of Exemplar Coaching Pty Ltd and CoffeeChatConnect. "We should have the desire to custom design the only life we have. After-all, we buy designer everything. How much more should we Live by Design, not by default?"