Blessed Saints and Friends,
​“Our judges have looked over each one with scrupulous care. The winner of this year’s ‘Longest Nose in the State’ – with a length of four and one quarter inches – is again… Nanny Tucker!” “Yea..!” “Thank you! Thank you! Besides the barn animals, elephant ears, and Ferris wheel, this is the highlight of each year’s State Fair for me. When I hang all the blue ribbons on this snout of mine, there is room for five more State Fairs!” “Congratulations, Nanny.” “Thank you, Lucy. Say Lucy, are you going to judge the homemade apple pies again this year?” “No.” “Are you going to judge the quilts?” “No.” “For the last twenty-two years you have been part of the judging committee for the State Fair. What will you be judging this year?” “I will not be judging anything, Nanny.” “Why not?” “I read in the Bible where Jesus said, ‘Judge not, that you be not judged.’” Matthew 7:1
​“I am familiar with that verse. That is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. When Jesus tells His followers ‘not to judge’, He refers to our judging the motives of why people do what they do. If we are always critical of why someone is doing something or we are continually faultfinding about what other people’s motives may be, people will begin to treat us the same way and judge our motives when we do something – even if what we are doing is for good.” “I think I understand what you mean, Nanny. I remember when Farmer Dell broke his contract with the county to provide milk for the community. He had talked business with a land developer concerning his property. None of us knew why he was doing that. He had always been upright and honest with everyone, so no one really thought too much about it. That is, except one person we all know who has a carping, critical attitude toward people’s motives. She insisted it was greed. ‘All about money in the pocket!’, she would say. ‘Probably apartment buildings named after him.’ Whenever she saw Farmer Dell in the store, even in church, she would say – ‘Hello, Farmer Greed!’ I know how it embarrassed his wife. The lady judged him, his motives, and had not a clue what Farmer Dell might have been doing.
​Then, when the project developer was all done, everyone found out that Farmer Dell had sold the property because his wife had a terminal illness. They wanted to keep that private. A stipulation in selling his land was that the developer would build the most beautiful park in the state right here in our city. And Farmer Dell had negotiated a fair deal with the new dairy up the road to supply our community with the same amount of milk that he would have provided.” “Yes, you are correct. And what occurred later that voting season reminds me of what Jesus went on to say: ‘For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.’ Matthew 7:2 Though the carping critic was qualified to run for office, why was she running? People judged her motives. Why was she suddenly showing concern for the city? She had never been involved before. Her campaign emphasized nothing in particular. Did she desire the title for her name’s sake and the position at the table for the City Dinner? She was judged by those who knew her and by those who did not. People questioned her motives to run for the position of City Council Member. When the votes were counted, it was clear – people did not trust her motives.
So Lucy, do you think you will be on the judging committee next year?” “Next year? I’m going to see if they need a judge for those homemade apple pies right now!”
​It’s a fact. Not one of us can truly know the situation or the heart of another person to determine their motives for doing something. But God does say, before a person trusts in Jesus, His Son, as their Savior – their heart is desperately wicked compared to Him. Jeremiah 17:9 That does not mean a person is as bad as they could be. It does mean that no one is good enough for heaven on their own merit. But when a person trusts in Jesus as their Savior, God gives that person a new heart to forsake the old way of doing things. He quickens our spirit and renews our mind, that we can live a life pleasing to Him. You can tell Him now: ‘Thank You, Jesus. Because You died for my sins and rose again, You made it possible for me to live a life with pure motives until You call me home to heaven, Amen.’