Friday, December 19, 2025 — James 4:11-12
11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them 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?
We all grow up with two or more influencers in our lives. First, but perhaps not the most influential, is our family. We live with them and around them, often relying on their words of wisdom or foolishness, criticism or encouragement. Perhaps next, are our close circle of friends — those are the people we try to impress, or whom we are impressed by — but who in the end have a degree of influence not found in our homes called ‘peer pressure’. We are unable to determine just how much peer pressure impacts the individual. But it is a fair assessment to say that we are typically drawn to people because of mutual likes or dislikes. When we examine those relationships, they are often built on judgments of other people — whether they are a part of the “in-crowd” or ‘cliques’ or the “rejects”. Perhaps next on the list are those social contacts. They may or may not be our peers but have a dynamic influence on us dependent on what we’re looking for or trying to avoid. And of course, our last area of influence are those who form our spiritual community of influencers. And even those who make up that community are not immune from being judged or from judging one another or grumbling against each other. And it doesn’t matter from which group the disgruntlement comes, it is frequently an act of judgement that initiates it.
Judgment is primarily a lack of patience with how someone does something — how they walk, talk, act, speak, and look, or any number of other factors that make us uncomfortable. What we often lack is background on another person that causes them to be the way they are. It also says that we have not patiently waited in faith for a person to fully mature into the person God has created them to be. Waiting in faith allows room, not only for the development of others, but also for our own development. We may be able to say we not the person God wants us to be but thank God we’re not the person we were — a form of self-judgment. Perhaps a better way to avoid judgment is to look at any other person and say, “There — but for the grace of God — go I” — a comment typically reserved for those who are considered beyond reproach. But if we apply that statement to ourselves, then our faith, patience and waiting in faith relinquishes judgment to be made by Christ as final judge of us all.
- At what point does judging someone else become an unacceptable action even when done by someone else?
- What does judging someone say to us about waiting in faith and what we are waiting for?
Todays Prayer
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, forgive me when I judge or condemn my brothers and sisters. Empower me to wait patiently in faith for You, the righteous Judge who will come and judge us all.
