“”Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure — pressed down, shaken together, and running over — will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”” Luke 6:37-38 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/luk.6.37-38.CSB

We are so quick to judge others, whether it is the first time we see them or the 100th time they have done that same irritating thing we have criticized them for previously. This judgment is almost always negative and quickly leads to condemnation of the behavior that offended us and the person. We don’t forgive them for the offense to ensure we don’t forget their offense. When discussing the most recent offense, we often bring those unforgiven offenses back to the surface. Thankfully, God is not this way. We offend God daily by disobedience, disinterest, and disrespecting Him and His ways. God is constantly ignored, and we justify ourselves before Him as self-righteous when we do what we please rather than as He commands. God loves unconditionally. God is full of mercy and grace, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. God does not treat us as our sins deserve. How can we be more like God in loving people? We must turn to the cross when we are offended by others. At the cross, we are reminded of the judgment we deserve taking place upon Jesus, Who was innocent. At the cross, we see the condemnation our sins brought upon the innocent sacrifice of Jesus, Who gave Himself for us because of His love for us. At the cross, we experience the forgiveness of our sins, all of them yesterday, today, and tomorrow. At the cross, we see the gift of God of His Son to pay for our sins against Him so that He can purchase us back to Himself, pardoned by His blood. If we look to the cross long enough and then turn our gaze upon our offending neighbor, spouse, or family member, we can release judgment and condemnation, and we can give forgiveness and any other thing necessary for truly loving that person and restoring our relationship with them. When we do this, we prove we are truly children of God, for we are loving like our Father in heaven, Who demonstrated His love so magnanimously through the giving of His Son on the cross.