Judge Not...Lets make practical spiritual progress!

" Judge not, lest ye be judged" Strong statement isnt it? I am the first to say I am GUILTY! The natural desire for us to judge others that we DONT know is strong. Especially if they dont look like us or talk like us..One quick personal story, as I am sure you all have your own, and can relate- I was recently on the first leg of my flight home from my vacation. I wasnt able to snag the aisle seat on the airlplane that I prefer, so I was stuck in the middle seat, and kinda dreading it, since you never know who you will be in between! By the window was a guy who seemed zoned out, which was fine with me. The aisle seat was taken by a tatoo covered, blinged out watch and earring wearing dude, that looked like he belonged in a punk band.. Im thinking "nice, this should be interesting.." Guess what? He turned out to be super polite, he read his BIBLE and took notes the entire flight! And he actually smelled good too. LOL! Can you see where I am going with this people? From just glancing at the guy, I thought the worst. I was wrong.I judged that man based on his outer appearance and not his actions or behavior- there is a difference! When the Bible talks about this in Matt. 7:1 "Judge not, lest ye be judged" it refers to getting yourself in "right standing" before judging anyone else.. judging by the standards of the Word-and never judging anyone with a sense of "moral superiority". The tatooed guy on the plane probably got that. Im working on it starting this week- and ask that you guys try it- Give folks a break, before you even see what they are about, before you have a conversation. Wouldn't it be terrible if someone judged you that way?