Judge Not

“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not and ye shall not be condemned: forgive and ye shall be forgiven:”                   Luke 6: 37
 
 
A story to consider:
   
     Once there was a young man who loved the Lord and had accepted Christ as a small child.  He had attended church his whole life, given to the poor, and treated his brothers with respect.  He studied the scriptures faithfully, and in general felt very sure that he was walking on the righteous path.
     Now this man had a relative who never attended church.  This older man was a real mess.  He drank alcohol, and cursed frequently.  He made promises that he never kept.  He would sometimes show remorse for his actions, but then would revert back to his original behavior.  The younger Christian man often made a show of trying to lead this relative to Christ, even though he insisted that he did believe in Jesus.  He dutifully mentioned his name in his prayers.  He even brought his name before the church every time prayer requests were being taken, but in his heart, the young man never doubted that this older man was lost and doomed to hell.  In fact, over time he had begun to look forward to the Judgement Day, when he would finally be proven right!
     This younger man grew older, and eventually attended his relative’s funeral.  “Well,” he told himself, “I guess the old man has finally learned the sad truth.”
     Many years later, the younger man, now grown old, died in the presence of many loved ones.  He was ushered into heaven by angels, greeted by His Savior, and seated at a long table to partake in a feast of welcome.  As he looked around in awe and wonder at the multitudes around him, imagine his surprise at seeing his old, worthless relative seated next to him!  “How did YOU get here, old man?” he exclaimed.  The old man smiled and looked at him and said, “Why, the same way you did.  I believed in Jesus as a young child.  But don’t worry, Jesus told me that He has already forgiven us BOTH for the way we behaved after we were saved.”
     Dear reader, search your heart and see if there might be someone who you have judged and failed to forgive.  After all, you never know who you might be seated next to in heaven.