I was intrigued by 1 Timothy 5:18 where Paul says, For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,”and “The worker deserves his wages.” I had to look up in a couple different places to try and gain understanding of what he was actually trying to say. What I found is completely true for our current day and time in our society where we love to knock people down. No matter how good or good intentioned a leader or person of authority is, there are always people who feel they must criticize and point out faults. This is especially true of leader and people in authority, such as pastors. The problem comes from our expectations that these people should be perfect. They are no less susceptible to sin than we are and, while they deserve our respect, they also require our constant prayer and support. If you are not regularly praying for your leaders, then you have no business criticizing and/or judging them.

Too many people feel the need to dictate what is right or wrong outside of God’s word. We need to worry less about what we think is wrong in other people’s lives and concentrate more on making sure our lives are not a source of struggle to others. Romans 14:13 says, Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. We should worry more about being a source of encouragement to others more than a source of criticism and judgement.