Judgement

You know what I struggle with? Well, a lot of things, but one thing I really struggle with is judgement. There are countless times throughout everyday that I find myself looking at someone and comparing myself to them. Now, judgement is something that all humans struggle with, some more than others, but why? Well, sin nature. I think that there are different ways to judge. There’s good judgement, and bad judgement. Good judgement would be judging other believers in the church. For example, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5, verses 12 and 13a, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside...” (ESV). I say this to remind you, or inform you maybe for the first time...take note of the believers around you! It is our job to hold other brothers and sisters in Christ accountable, and judging the actions of those around you who claim to follow Jesus is a commandment. Believe it or not, when you see your Christian friend doing something you wholeheartedly know is wrong, and you do not confront them, you are sinning. A sin of omission, that is. So, there you have it. It is a hard truth to hold to, but true nonetheless. Now, on to the other judging...judging unbelievers. This is something I do. I very often judge those who don’t follow Jesus. I almost put myself above them, acting as if I am better than them because of the depth of my spirituality, which is wrong. The other day, I was listening to a song called “Rhythms of Grace” by Hillsong UNITED. When the bridge of the song came, I was thinking about the lyrics and they hit me like a kickball knocking the wind out of a 4th graders stomach. The lyrics stated,

“No eye has seen,

no ear has heard,

the depths of Your loved One,

no eye can fathom,

no ear has heard,

how great You are”

I really got to thinking about how this was worded. They didn’t say, “No unbelievers eye has seen, no unbelievers ear has heard”, they said, “no eye has seen, no ear has heard”. You may be thinking, “so what, Jak” and I’m thinking...”who am I to think I know Jesus”. Who am I to think I know Jesus more than another Christ follower. Who am I to think I’m closer to Jesus than an unbeliever. While reflecting, the nerd in me kicked in. I tried to think of this logically. Jesus for real, has no end to His greatness. At no point in life will I say, “Ah! Finally, I have figured out Jesus!” with a fist in the air, popping a champagne bottle (relax, I’m kidding). It is impossible for me to reach full comprehension of Jesus, yet it is a life goal as believers to know Jesus. If no eye can fathom how great He is, then why am I comparing how much I can understand Him to the understanding of an unbeliever. My point is, just because I am a follower of Christ, doesn’t mean that I know Him a certain amount. It’s literally eternal, which according to math and logic (which mean nothing when coming in contact with the God of the universe), means that there is no specific point inside the eternity of who He is, that I am at. Like, guys, we can get lost in His love because we won’t know where we are when standing in it. But that’s the beautiful thing, it doesn’t matter where we are, but where He is. <— please reread that sentence.

-Jak Hilsher

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:9‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)

“But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him—’”