CHAPTER 14: WHERE DOES JUDGMENT BEGIN
You are a company owner. You’re supposed to assess situations and deal. Every day you’re challenged by problems. It is you who are the solution or it is you who is the problem. Whatever the case it is you who needs to do the correct thing. Good people are hard to find. Lazy people are impossible to avoid. Good situations need to be tended to so they stay good and situations gone bad need to be cautiously and carefully dealt with as well. Your company is at stake, the well-being of your family, cash flow and you know the rest of the list. How to be a Christian in such an environment? The bible says you’re not to judge. Where Does Judgement Begin? Passing judgement on people is a very dangerous head space. Not assessing a situation correctly is a dangerous headspace. What’s the difference between judgement and assessment? Good question, the answer is simple. You make the assessment to lead, teach and inspire. God is the judge at the end of time, and when we stand before Him, we want to have been a good servant, having done the right thing. Let’s get to it. Assessment is simple. Taking right, wrong, good and bad out of situation — either it works or it doesn’t.
John 15:2
English Standard Version
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
John 15:2 is love. The Lord is prepping the vine, i.e., you and me for good works, if He didn’t do that, like any garden not tended to, we would become shoddy and overgrown, unhealthy and sick. Judgement on the other hand has no love in it. God, should be left to such matters simply because I’m not qualified. Example: If an employee has too many tasks to do, he will probably fail at all of them. If, those tasks are re-engineered, perhaps divided up among two or three employees, all will do well, the company will benefit and the assessment was correct.
John 15:12
New International Version
12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
Assessment definition: The evaluation or estimation of the nature, quality, or ability of someone or something. That’s a good definition for all dynamics in the work place and life. Let’s look at judgement.
Judgement has no love in it. There are many examples in the Bible where a King judges a person and it’s not good. Here’s one example in the book of Ester. A character named Haman had been found to be in severe contempt and he was judged by King Ahasuerus.
Esther 7:9-10
New International Version
9 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A
pole reaching to a height of fifty cubits[a] stands by Haman’s
house. He had it set up for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.”
The king said, “Impale him on it!” 10 So they impaled Haman on
the pole he had set up for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.
Harsh, am I right? Judgement is harsh, it is not an assessment or something that needs an adjustment, it is a severe consequence. Here in Esther a man, albeit a King, passed judgement on a very bad man — and than man was destroyed. Quite severe. Let’s look at a severe judgement by God.
Revelation 20:11-15
King James Version
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Okay, very harsh things. Assessment and Judgement. Assessment has clearly solutions, love, hope, assistance, guidance and caring. Judgement has none of that. How do we apply that to the work place? We don’t. Judgement has no place in our lives. Harsh, severe punishment has nothing to do with anything God has given to you or to me. Bottom line: In God we ask that our temperament be correct and our assessments be guided by the Holy Spirit and God prevail in all things. We have no situations where we are King of a people, or do we have God’s job in judging who goes to Hell or not. So, what to do when people are clearly out of line? What happens when a person will not learn, will not adjust, will not adhere to the rules of respect and value others accordingly? What do you do when it effects the entire unit of a company or a family? Now, that is when it gets tough. Let me ask you something. If someone was about to walk off of a cliff and you couldn’t get to them in time, all you could do is yell for them to stop! Would you do it? Or would you let them walk off the cliff? Obviously, you would yell at the top of your lungs to interrupt a person from walking off of a cliff.
James 5:20 let him know that whoever brings back a
sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death
and will cover a multitude of sins.
Helping a situation is the key and the biggest challenge. Without it, production, life, quality of life, hope and destiny are interrupted. The bible talks about stiff necked people, stubborn people. We are stubborn, He still blesses those, as is reflected in the next verse, however with that kind of love, I don’t want to push the envelope. He gives so much and then we decide to throw darts at it, don’t we?
Deuteronomy 9:6
New King James Version
6 Therefore understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked[a] people.
Stubborn, stiff necked. We get in our own way, or perhaps an employee, stuck in their ways, refusing to change. So in an effort to help can we push too far? Could we cause a person to stumble, to run from the Lord? First I investigate a scripture, then I’ll answer that.
Romans 14:13
New International Version
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.
Long story short, I have to try. God knows my heart, and He knows the challenge. I must try to stop people from hurting themselves and others in the job I’ve been given. I try lovingly, I try not so lovingly, but I try and I try again and again and again. Ultimately, either people get in line or they don’t and if they don’t it is in God’s hands, however bad behavior must be assessed and as scriptures has noted in “pruning”, we must take care of the garden, i.e., the gifts of people who are trying to work and be correct. Those that choose not to, I’ve done all I can do, and with God, I gotta let ‘em go. Tough assessment, am I available at all times to discuss it? That too requires discernment. Wasting time on silly arguments, is just that, wasting time. Forgiveness of course. Will I put a child in the car of a known speeder, of course not. Will I put my hand in the cage of a lion, no of course not. In my family and my business — tough choices, tough assessments, what works, what doesn’t, trying to realign people, being judged harshly by others in the face of trying to do well. It’s part of ministry, it’s part of management and it is this lesson.
Titus 1:7-9
English Standard Version
7 For an overseer,[c] as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound[d]doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
Now that is an assessment, isn’t it? As fiduciaries each of us have been given a place of authority in our businesses and our families. We need to be an example of Jesus and His Word. Judgement is the end of good conversation. I simply run out of things to say. Judgement stops giving solutions. It’s the end of working out a situation. Right? It also is the end of compassion. Sometimes however, we have to make an assessment that requires a very challenging decision to be made. As fiduciaries we are in charge, and must keep all people in our companies and families safe from those that would surely hurt the others.
Romans 16:17-18
English Standard Version
Final Instructions and Greetings
17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites,[a] and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
(Proverbs 23:9)
Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.
Proverbs 27:3
A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is heavier than both.
Proverbs 6:16-19
English Standard Version
16 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil,
19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
You either find a way to work with someone, or you realize it’s time to give them back to God. Are they doing the job they want to do, rather than the job that needs to be done. Are you doing a job that you want to do instead of what needs to be done?
In short, like the scripture above, we must make the assessment. Whatever needs to be done, that’s what we do in the grace of God, His mercy and His Word. King Solomon, son of David and the King of Israel ruled 970-931 BCE, is quoted as saying:
Ecclesiastes 7:25
I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.
Common sense is not so common and stupid is really expensive. Stay the course God has put in place for you, stay close to His Word.
1 Thessalonians 5:14
New International Version
14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
It’s time to graduate from the concept of “taking” from God, and change into “giving” back to God for all that you have been given. Solid spiritual food is learning the word in a more profound manner. Deeper, allowing oneself to be concerned, interested, hungry for the ways of the Lord.
Hebrews 5:14
New International Version
14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have
trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Where does Judgement Begin? It begins with God and it ends with God. Period. Learn to be on duty, at your post. God forgives you for stupid, stupid things. Sometimes we need to do the same, while maintaining order in the areas where we are responsible.
Ezekiel 3:18-19
New King James Version
18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
We are in charge. Assess situations for a good end. Leave judgement to the Lord. Although we forgive, that does not mean that we support people causing disturbances and division. It’s a tough challenge and a very real responsibility.
Romans 14:1
New King James Version
The Law of Liberty
14 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.
Where does judgement begin? At the end of Assessment. There are no more solutions, no more love, no more pruning, no more future.., Leave that to God.., it is not mine or yours. Assessment sometimes requires people to move on in their lives. God is God, thankfully, He knows your heart and He is with you. Amen.
