We will discuss six points to help us in using righteous judgment:

(1)    Do not judge by outward appearance.

(2)    Do not be a respecter of persons.

(3)    Do not judge before you have the facts.

(4)    Go to the source before judging.

(5)    Judge after seeking God's will in love.

(6)    Judge using Godly principles and laws.

To test whether we are using righteous judgment, let's ask ourselves the following questions:

-    Do I know enough of the facts to make a judgment?

-    Am I being impartial and unbiased in my judgment?

-    Does my judgment ultimately help the other person?

-    Is my judgment made in an attitude of love?

-    Have I sought God's will and guidance in my judgment?

-    Is my judgment based on Godly principles and laws?

If the answer to any of these questions is a "no", then the judgment that we are about to make is probably not a righteous judgment.

During the weeks and months ahead, let's use righteous judgment to heal hurts of the past, to mend friendships that are frayed, to draw closer to God, and to avoid pitfalls and errors we have done in the past.

Let's renew our efforts to judge with righteous judgment.