JUDGEMENT

"There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?" (James 4:12).

The only one who is able to correctly judge is the very one who wrote the law that judgement is based upon. The rest of us get it wrong. We don't completely understand the Spirit of the law and consequently we often miss the point--emphasizing aspects of the law in a way that God does not. Our biases enter in and we tend to judge harshly sins that we don't have and ignore sins that we do have. Hence, the church often condemns alcoholics and homosexuals and excuses the greedy and the gluttons. In addition to being the lawgiver, the judge also needs to possess the ability to save and to destroy. In other words, the judge can do something about violations of the law, rather than just pointing them out. The judge can save law-breakers or the judge can destroy them. Only God can do this! Only God can give life and only God can take life! Only God gives the law and therefore, only God can judge our obedience to the law. Paul even says in 1 Corinthians 4:3-4, "I don't care if you or anyone else judges me. I don't even judge myself. I am only judged by the Lord!"

Let me suggest that today be a judgement-free day--a day when we let people up when they make mistakes or when they offend us. Just let it go.