James 4:11-12 - judging others

Scripture: James 4:11-12

Summary: Don't judge each other.Be a doer of the law and not a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge, so who are you to judge your neighbor.

Thoughts: When I read this scripture I find myself thinking about a young lady I know. There was a rumor circulating that she had made some bad choices, involving illegal drugs and sex. When I heard the rumor, I was obviously concerned about her well being, knowing that those kind of choices could have serious consequences for her. But my bigger concern waas the way that other girls in our group began to treat her. And I began to think about how Jesus had treated the people around him: how he had accepted people who had made poor choices in the past. So I began talking to the girls who I heard talking about this young lady. Trying to stress to them that we wanted our church to be a safe place to be, even for people who had made bad choices. Because when you are really honest, you realize that we have all made bad choices in our lives. And although we may consider other people's bad choices worse than ours, who are we to judge someone else?  This is what I see as the crucial point of this scripture. Who are we to judge our neighbors or to judge another youth at our church? Perhaps we can focus more on the person and less on their past. Isn't this what Jesus did?

Prayer: God help me to see past the external facade of each person to see the child of God within. Amen.