Passing Judgment

Every day our world gets better and better at passing judgment. This week was a week when most football fans rejoiced that the NFL is back in full swing.  Yet it was also a week where a star player was faced with public ridicule. Of course the crime was horrible. It was painful to see the abuse Ray Rice’s fiancé suffered.  The interesting part was listening to the sports writers and regular news people talk about who is to blame. Some have asked the NFL commissioner to step down. I even heard it said that ESPN is to blame because it is like a gossip magazine for guys. Men get sucked into the drama and can’t wait to see what happens next. I have to admit I fall into this category as I watch the sports news. Right now the world waits to see what judgment is passed and to hear the reactions.

           

This happens every day of our life – people passing judgment on others. The truth is, most of us worry about it even when nobody is talking. We worry what others will think. How will that judgment affect my life? Ray Rice thought his judgment was already passed until the rest of his video came out. The reality is, if people had video of the ins and outs of our lives the headlines and news stories would not be so good either. They might not be as tragic as the Ray Rice video, but it would certainly show our struggles and sins.

           

In his wisdom, Paul begins to teach us about this in Romans. He helps people understand the judgment we pass and how often we find ourselves talking about others. Paul helps us see areas we need to work on and how we need to stay focused on our relationship with Jesus.

           

Here is the great thing. After seeing the video of our lives, Jesus could have come in and passed judgment. Instead, He passed on passing judgment and took our judgment on Himself for us. Amazing how a world caught up in this passing judgment thing is missing the solution! This weekend we focus on how God’s passing judgment is just what we need.