Judging by the Cover...

Based on Ezekiel 14-15, James 2

"Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?" Ezekiel 14:1‭-‬3

Judging others is all based on expectations-we can look on those, like the elders of Israel in Ezekiel's time, who look like they have it all together. But really, in their hearts, they were setting up idols which manifested in stumbling blocks of iniquity in their lives. Also, we can look on those who seem like the poorest people, with the most messed up situations, yet their heart is genuinely seeking a relationship with God. We really can't judge a book by its cover!

"are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?"

James 2:4

We can't be hypocritical! We know that, no matter what someone's life looks like, none of us are perfect & our hearts are in need of constant examination. We can't judge a book, or people, by their covers...the only thing we can do is open up THE BOOK, the Bible, for ourselves and see how WE can change for the better. God is the ultimate Judge. We should uphold values & standards for our lifestyles, and abstain from things that we judge to be not up to God's standards for ourselves based on His Word, but it's not up to us to force change upon others. We have to pray, share The Word & share the love! GOD is the Changer of hearts!

"Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?"

James 2:5

Perfect lives don't equal lives rich in faith! Sometimes, we're poor. Sometimes, we have bad days. But is our faith strong on those days, or is it wavering? We don't have to put up a fake picture of perfection, we just have to have faith no matter what's going on in our lives!