“Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.” (James 4:11 NLT)
Why is it so easy to point out the faults of others and gossip about them instead of encouraging them? Don’t say, “I don’t do that.” The hard truth is that we all do it. Some do it more than others, some less.
Maybe it makes us feel better about our own weaknesses. Perhaps we just enjoy hearing "dirt" about other people. Whatever the reason, it is sin, yet many of us continue to do it.
In this verse from James, we are confronted with a problem everyone has. This is better known as “pride.” It is a real problem when it is found in the church. Evidently it was a problem in the church at Jerusalem and at times is a problem in every church.
Being human and being sinners, we tend to make snap judgments about people. We put labels on people according to clothing, race, sex, nationality, ability, or disability, etc. How many times do we judge people by what they look like? How many times to do we judge a smart person and think they are just showing off? How many times do we judge a person by what they can or cannot do? Honestly, can any of us say we really believe the labels we or others put on people? And yet we find ourselves agreeing with others about what they think people are.
There is a strong tendency...
- For the good person to judge and criticize the bad person.
- For the bad person to judge and criticize the good person.
- For the gifted person to judge and criticize the less gifted.
- For the less gifted person to judge and criticize the gifted.
- For the wealthy person to judge and criticize the poor.
- For the poor person to judge and criticize the wealthy.
Can we see just how foolish this becomes? We place ourselves over others because of what we see on the surface or we assume to be true.
One simple truth remains clear. We Are All Sinners.
There is only one Lawgiver and Judge. He is the one who is able to save and destroy. But us, what about us? Who are we to judge our neighbor?
The solution to judging others and placing one’s self on a pedestal and think they are better than others is to see people, including ourselves, through the eyes of God. “For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?” (1 Corinthians 4:7 NLT)
He is God and we are not. Thankfully we worship a God who has mercy and grace on each of us. He loves each of us and desires that we come back to the permanent relationship that we are supposed to have with Him.
When we look at our lives and compare, there is only one comparison that counts, "All have sinned". We are all on level playing ground.
We are sinners, lost, without a hope.
It does not matter if our skin is black white purple or green.
It does not matter if we are male or female.
It does not matter if we are Deaf or hearing.
It does not matter about a college degree.
It does not matter who is your mother, father, brother, or sister.
It does not matter what is your family name.
We are all sinners.
The only difference between us and anyone else is Jesus Christ. One’s relationship with Jesus is the only thing that matters when it comes to comparison.
One person found a way to combat the problem of talking behind other people’s backs in their church. It was a formula they came up with that the members of the church had to use before speaking to anyone. It also becomes true when we want to talk about someone else.
“T.H.I.N.K.”
T - Is it True?
H - Is it Helpful?
I - Is it Inspiring?
N - Is it Necessary?
K - Is it Kind?
Before we talk about another person, we need to THINK. If what we are about to say does not pass the above test, then we need to stop and decide if what we have to say about the other person will uplift the person and honor God.
Today, we need to pay attention to what we say to others about others. Are we gossiping and slandering or are we a source of encouragement? If we cannot honestly say we are a person who encourages others, we need to ask God to soften our heart and help us become an example of His encouraging love to ourselves as well as to those around us.
There is a time and place for us to confront and correct a brother or sister. James is not talking about that. James is talking about those who consider themselves to be better than others and then boast about it. James’ point is that God is the judge. Leave it to Him. Focus more on telling others about Jesus Christ and uplifting others in a way which honors God as our creator.
Hello Again!!
7 years ago
