The Upper Room Daily Devotional in Nashville Tennessee United States for Saturday, 22 June 2018 "Do Not Judge Others" by Sybil Austin Skakle (North Carolina) John 8:1-11

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The Upper Room Daily Devotional in Nashville Tennessee United States for Saturday, 22 June 2018 "Do Not Judge Others" by Sybil Austin Skakle (North Carolina) John 8:1-11
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  Matthew 7:1-2 (NIV))
As I arrived at church one Sunday, I congratulated myself for being on time for service and for praying for those I saw along my drive walking or running instead of preparing to attend worship. But I found only one other car in the parking lot. Where was everybody? Had I missed an announcement? I had been feeling out of the loop since moving to a retirement community. I took out my cell phone and called another member. “Where is everyone?” I asked.
“It’s Saturday,” she replied.
“Oh, so it is! The joke’s on me!” I laughed.
Then I began to reflect on the morning. When I left my apartment, I had thought critically of the two workmen hanging a door for my neighbor. As I approached the church grounds, I saw a man mowing the grass. On Sunday! I thought, shaking my head. Disturbing the worship time!
That day reminded me of the danger of jumping to conclusions. When we rush to judge, we can hurt other people. I reminded myself to be slower to judge others.
TODAY'S PRAYER: Dear Father, guard our minds and our lives that we may not judge others. Help us to be a blessing to those around us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
TODAY'S READING: John 8:1 But Yeshua went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At daybreak, he appeared again in the Temple Court, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The Torah-teachers and the P’rushim brought in a woman who had been caught committing adultery and made her stand in the center of the group. 4 Then they said to him, “Rabbi, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5 Now in our Torah, Moshe commanded that such a woman be stoned to death. What do you say about it?” 6 They said this to trap him, so that they might have ground for bringing charges against him; but Yeshua bent down and began writing in the dust with his finger. 7 When they kept questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “The one of you who is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then he bent down and wrote in the dust again. 9 On hearing this, they began to leave, one by one, the older ones first, until he was left alone, with the woman still there. 10 Standing up, Yeshua said to her, “Where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, sir.” Yeshua said, “Neither do I condemn you. Now go, and don’t sin any more.” (Complete Jewish Bible).
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Today I will treat others the way I want to be treated. (See Luke 6:31.)
PRAYER FOCUS: Someone I have judged
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