I’ve been thinking a lot about the whole “Don’t judge” thing. In case you’ve been living under a rock lately, the most quoted verse anymore is “Don’t judge lest you be judged.”

I’m okay with that. It’s not my place to determine someone’s ulterior motives or salvation. That’s God’s job and He does just fine at it without my help.

I don’t need to take one isolated act and try to label a person based off that one incident. I don’t have all the facts. Heck, anybody could take something I said or did and make me out to be something totally different than who I really am.

What disturbs me is that so many hide behind the “Don’t judge” banner. They can do whatever they want, say whatever they want, and then quote the “Don’t judge” mantra when ever anybody tries to point out the inconsistencies and hypocrisies in their lives. They’re using it to avoid any kind of accountability at all.

I don’t want to be judged, but I do want to be held accountable. I want someone who will ask me the tough questions and not accept the bumper sticker answers I give when people ask me how I am.

I want someone who will point out in love when I step out of line spiritually, when I say or do things that don’t line up with my profession of faith in and love for Jesus.

My pastor has said that the world doesn’t hate Christians because we’re too different, but because we’re not different enough. Sometimes, there’s no difference at all.

You may talk all day long about how much you love Jesus, but your actions will drown out those words if you live differently than you speak. That same pastor also said that if you don’t live it, you don’t believe it. No matter how loudly you preach it, it means nothing if you live contrary to it.

But at the end of the day, I’m still very thankful for grace. Despite all my best intentions, I still act and speak in ways that don’t please Jesus. My actions don’t always match my words. But I’m covered in grace. Not so I can stay the same, but so that each day I can be a little more like Jesus and a little less like how I used to be.

And that’s a good thing.