Judging - August 25

Judging

James 4:11-12
"11 Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you--who are you to judge your neighbor?"

Judging our neighbors/friends/family/coworkers is easy to do. Isn't it always easier to spot what someone else is doing and pointing out their shortcomings and failures? Of course it is but it isn't right.

It isn't that God doesn't want us to help one another grow out of those areas where we fall short - but that is held for those who already know Christ and then we do it out of love to help them - not to judge them. It is not our role to fill with those who don't know God.

Here James is pointing out that judging our neighbor(not our spiritual brother/sister) is taking on the role that God plays. Our role is to point them to Christ. They need to know Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him. It is not their daily faults or the things they do wrong that should draw our attention - it is the fact that they need a personal saving relationship with Jesus - so pray for them - reach out to them - invite them over for dinner - but don't judge them.