02/18/2025
Practical Tips To Avoid Judging Others
When I research a sermon, such as Sunday’s message on judgmentalism, I always try to think through some practical steps or tips in how to implement God’s desire for our lives. I rustled together a herd of ideas this week and I offer them to you. If you have a tendency (and maybe we all do) to look down in judgment on others, pick one or two of the following and put them into practice. See if it doesn’t move you closer to the ideal Jesus holds out for us.
Practical Tip: Before forming an opinion, ask: “Is this based on deep thought or just personal bias?”
Practical Tip: Observe patterns of behavior, not just moments.
Practical Tip: When correcting someone, start with empathy before offering truth.
Practical Tip: If you catch yourself gossiping or complaining, redirect the conversation to something uplifting.
Practical Tip: Each morning, thank God for one specific way He has shown you grace, and let that gratitude shape how you treat others.
Practical Tip: Whenever you feel the urge to "correct" someone unnecessarily, say: "God, I trust You with this person."
Practical Tip: When you feel the urge to criticize someone, pause and say a quick prayer: “God, help me see this person as You see them.”
Try This Daily Prayer: "Lord, help me to see others as You see them. Remove any pride, bitterness, or self-righteousness in my heart. Teach me to love, extend grace, and encourage rather than condemn. Amen."
Archived Posts
Change of Focus This Week
Instead of sharing with you about yesterday’s sermon I’d like to invite you to do some background reading for next Sunday’s “Only Murders in the Bible.” Seeing that it is All Saints Day this Sunday, we are going to look at the very first Christian martyr, Stephen.
You Might Be Thinking It’s All About You If…
In working on Sunday’s sermon I asked my computer’s AI if she/he could come up with a few suggestions in answer to the above: "You Might be thinking it’s all about you, if…."
Prayer Changes Things
Here is a transcript of the prayer I prayed at the end of yesterday’s sermon.
Optimism, Faith, and Hope:
Practical Steps For Increasing All Three
Here are some practical, spiritual, and relational ways to grow faith, hope and optimism:
Listening Heart
It’s kind of crazy when you think about it. Wisdom in the Bible is all about listening. Of course it makes sense that wisdom would start with listening to God, to God’s law and commandments, as well as the promptings and leadings of the Holy Spirit.
Here are some quotes that
didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon.
(But it doesn’t mean that they don’t offer real insight into the power of risk over the fear of failure...)
Such A Rich Passage (Luke 19:1-10)
I reflected a lot on the passage about Zacchaeus because it has been written off as “been there, read that, little guy in a tree.” But it is so rich in getting to the heart of what it means to be saved by grace through faith—to live our lives out of gratitude rather than obligation.