SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 19
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Always think carefully before pronouncing judgment. Remember that you do not judge to please people but to please the Lord. He will be with you when you render the verdict in each case… [2 Chronicles 19:9]
You must always act in the fear of the Lord, with faithfulness and an undivided heart… [2 Chronicles 19:9]
Integrity is essential in our service of the Lord – acting and speaking with a deep awareness that we are not serving ourselves but the God of the Universe.
This is important not only for those who perform official duties (judges, police officers, lawyers, government leaders, church leaders, etc.) but also for every person when they do what they do each day.
How we treat others, how we speak about them, the opinions we form and speak of others, or when we are critical of others – always think carefully before pronouncing judgment!

I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will. [John 5:30]
Jesus demonstrates the kind of integrity we all need to aim for as we serve God with Him.
We need to be very close to God, devoted to Him and His heart and His will for ourselves first.
Its not enough to point out the flaws in others, we need to be humble and sincere for ourselves.
To a large extent, we could never repeat these words of Jesus – that our judgment is always just because we always carry out the will of God.
Fact is, we are still sin-affected, our motives and our perspectives are limited, flawed.
This is why Jesus urges us not to judge so much as to judge ourselves – i.e. take the log out of our own eyes before we address the splinter in others’ eyes.
This does not mean we are not allowed to discern right from wrong in others, but it always needs to spring from a self-discernment in ourselves, a humility that first looks within.

Am I motivated more by God’s will than my own?
Are my critical opinions and judgements of others truly a reflection of God’s heart and will, or do they spring from my own sin struggle and insecurity?
It has often been evident that those who speak loudly against moral decay in society have themselves been harbouring sin in their own lives (the sad example of Ted Haggard or some priests charged with sexual abuse).
I am not pointing fingers, just demonstrating what we are all in danger of – criticizing in others what we have within our own hearts.
Let the person who has not sinned cast the first stone – who then can throw a stone?
Like I said, this does not mean we cannot speak out against sin?
Those in the official positions I mentioned before must!
But let them first take a long hard look within, and be honest about their own condition and need for mercy.

PRAYER:
Lord, every time I see something in someone else, I see something similar in me. Help me to stay humble, to strive for integrity, and to be determined to be right before You above all else!