The Devotional - JAS010

The Devotional

Comment:

Judging people before we know the surrounding reasons is a common practice and it is a terrible SIN. The harm of judging wrongly (and there is no right way to judge) is permanent. Trying to repair the wrong is like patching a flat tire, yes you may get to use the tire again with a tire plug, but the plug will always be visible to the eye and a noticeable reminder to the ever listening ear. I am sure that if we search our heart we can immediately recall such judging of people. Whether people we judged wrongly or of being judged by others and the events that followed were not pleasant. The give and take of judging is very UNFAIR and we cannot brush judging off like a pesky fly, we hold on for the full effects as we might do on a roller-coaster ride; wanting to get off, but afraid of the fall and sudden stop. All judging is sin and all sin is lawlessness.

Challenge: James 4:11-12

Yesterday we looked at the first ten verses of James 4 and understood that a prideful heart promotes strife. If your heart is full of pride of self you most often judge things wrongly. We speak evil of one another, while thinking we are doing a good service, sadly we do not know or understand the evil damage being done in the heart of our loved ones. Thinking even that we are serving God and not understanding that we are feeding poison to a friend, loved one or even the neighbor.

Also, we do not understand that we are speaking against the Law and judge the Law of God as evil too. In Deuteronomy 5:17-20 we read these commandments of God; “you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, you shall not murder, commit adultery or steal. Our natural mind says, “Now wait just a minute, I am saved and I am no longer under the law, I am under grace and freed from the law! Friend, do you steal the character of another brother or sister by gossip? Do you commit adultery with your eyes, judging the other person as likeminded as you? Do you judge the actions of a brother or sister and murder their integrity and love for the LORD, thus crippling your relationship with them and others around you?

We are always to do or practice the Law of God in the righteousness of Christ our LORD which is humility of heart. Thus we are not exempt of the Law because of being under grace, but the grace of God allows us to use the Law properly. We are not the Lawgiver and when we seek to improve or impose on another we are standing in the place of God who is able to save or destroy to the uttermost those who come to Jesus. Belonging to Christ our LORD who is interceding for us daily before the throne of God, He alone qualifies as our High Priest – see Hebrews 7:25-26.