Not Judges but Children—Matthew 7:1-12

I have thought of a good birthday present for my children. Not just my children -- I think almost any child would find a use for this. A gavel. Most children, in my experience, think they are judges. All they lack is the gear. I include myself in this. I remember passing judgment on my siblings quite regularly. It was not enough to play the lawyer, accusing them to my parents. I was quite happy to name their crimes and fix their sentences myself.

Christians can be the same. We sometimes think that Christ has appointed us as judges of our neighbors, that it is our job to peer over the hedge and pass sentence on the folks next door, or to glance around the pews and rank our brethren for their holiness.