Judge That You Be Not Judged
The Southern Truth
By Gloria Zuurveen, Editor-in-Chief
My, my… what a statement.
And yes, it is a biblical one. You’ll find it right there in the Epistle to the Corinthians. Why is it written? Because God, in His wisdom, has already given us everything we need to govern ourselves.
He gave us free will. Yes, He did. And He expects us to use it — wisely, righteously, and for our own good.
If we obey and do what the Good Book says, we can walk safely every day. Because when we judge ourselves first, we won’t need police forces judging us. Nor will we need another person judging us in courtrooms across the land. When we’re honest with ourselves, accountable to ourselves, and tuned in to the Spirit within, our decisions will be righteous and real.
If we take the time to listen and learn, we can sit in the courtroom of our own conscience. We won’t clog up justice pointing our fingers outward. Instead, we’ll deal honestly with what’s inside — and justice will be meted out by the only one who knows the truth about us: ourselves.
This is the way we should walk. First, look at who we are and what we do each and every day. Because when we handle that inner business, the resources we pour into policing can be directed back into self-responsibility, self-governance, and self-respect.
“Judge that you be not judged,” just as the Good Book teaches. It protects you from outside forces and protects them from you, because they too must judge themselves lest they fall into abuse and misuse of their authority.
And let me bring this home with something personal, something precious. My last living uncle on my daddy’s side, a deacon, an upright man whose walk reflects Christ’s anointing — Uncle Brinkley. Lord knows he is a pillar. He calls the family, he shares the Walker history, he lays out wisdom for the generations coming behind us. Tradition, common sense, and spiritual grounding flow in every word.
Uncle Brinkley Walker(Center) with my dad (right end) with Uncle Eddie, Uncle JW and Uncle JB in Senatobia, Mississippi. Undated photo from Bradley Hammond Facebook page.
And this is what he always says:
“Use your head. Don’t lose your head.”
That’s his message. And it aligns perfectly with “Judge ye that ye be not judged.” Uncle Brinkley used his head, didn’t lose his head, and the evidence is in the peace, the steady life, the contentment he carries. And in today’s world, contentment is rare. But self-judgment — honest, sober, righteous self-judgment — brings that contentment back into reach.
So take the time to judge yourself, to know yourself, to correct yourself… so no one else has to.
That’s the Southern Truth.
