“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”
Matthew 7:1 NIV
Judge
Sir William Buell Richards was the first Chief Justice of Canada. Richards was born in Brockville, Upper Canada and earned a law degree at the St. Lawrence Academy in Potsdam, New York and then articled with his uncle Andrew Norton Buell in Brockville. He was called to the bar in 1837 and continued to practice in Brockville until 1853. With the creation of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1875, Richards was appointed directly to the position of Chief Justice, which he stayed at until his retirement on January 10, 1879.
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We don’t like being judged by others. It isn’t pleasant to feel like others are judging us for what we are wearing, or how we are acting or speaking. Sometimes we want to cry out, “Who are you to judge me?” I wouldn’t suggest you say that out loud if you are being prosecuted in a courtroom. Or, even more so, if you are standing before Almighty God on Judgment Day. If this is how we often feel, the Bible reminds us that we must be careful not to judge others. In Matthew 7:1 Jesus says, “‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” It is too easy to try to make ourselves feel better by judging another person for something they have said, done, or worn. Followers of Christ must avoid this temptation. There is only One who knows what is in the heart of a person – and He knows what is in our hearts as well. We need to love others, not judge them, and allow the great Judge of the Universe to bring conviction to the hearts of others. Our call today is to love others and leave the judging up to God.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley