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.

James 4

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. v11

With James being referred to as the "bossiest book of the Bible", it is not surprising that James packs his letter with many commands charging us with "do's" and "don'ts".  Here, we have James charging us to avoid slandering others.  Of course, we are to love and forgive others as God loves and forgives us, so this clearly includes judging and slandering others.

James is not the only one to charge us with avoiding judgement, slander, and gossip - check here for other books with a similar message.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves and forgives me - and there is no one else who can do what You do for me - You alone are God and I am grateful for what You have done and continue to do for me. Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such grace and compassion.  I slander and I gossip - please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 2

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. v12-13

Our lives are filled by moments when we make judgements and our judgements precede our actions.  We must first be transformed by the renewing of our mind so that we can limit those judgements which prevent mercy.  Believers are all granted mercy and forgiveness by Christ and He tells us to love and forgive others as the Lord loves and forgives us (John 13:34, Colossians 3:13).  

James references "the law that gives freedom" and I am reminded of John Piper's awesome post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who forgives me...You are SO full of mercy and compassion for me - thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of such love.  I too often judge without mercy.  Please forgive me Jesus!  Help me overcome and turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Matthew 7

Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. v6

Jesus focuses our attention to judgement...that we are to avoid judging others. First of all, that is not our role - God alone is judge.  Second, we are to love (John 13:34), forgive (Ephesians 4:32), and be graceful to others as God is to us.  In verse 6, Jesus turns our attention to how we should treat others who spurn our words of truth.  MacArthur claims Jesus' statements here do not contradict his previous statements (Matthew 5:39, Luke 6:29) on how we should treat our enemies. John Piper's thoughts on this are consistent - that no one is beyond our prayers. 

Everyone is worthy of Jesus' grace.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome and incredible God - I know You love me, You died for me, and You are so full of grace and compassion for me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love.  I continue to miss the mark - daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

Jude 1

Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. v22-23

Jude wants us to stand firm in our faith in the face of those who corrupt the church.  As we do this, we must be careful not to judge or be harsh.  Instead we are to be merciful.

Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.  Matthew 7:1-5

Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! James 5:9

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. Romans 14:13 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a merciful God, full of love, patience, compassion, kindness, etc. for me even though often I am not for others.  Thank You Jesus for such love but please forgive me for my sin and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself strength and wisdom.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

Jude 1

Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. v22-23

Jude warns us how people claiming to be believers weaken our church by openly sinning against God - despite their claim to be believers.  We see this today in the church and so Jude's warning is just as relevant today as it was when it was written.  Yet our role is not to be judge but instead to encourage others to repent and believe - to be saved.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

My Prayer: Lord, You indeed are a great God, full of mercy and compassion for me.  You loved me while I was still sinning and You chose me...adopted me as Your son, going to the cross for me.  What love!  I am not worth such love.  I worry and I am weak and disobedient.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free.

Proverbs 11

Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free. v21

We often see the sinful deeds of others and the temptation is to judge them.  Yet we all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).  See also:

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8

In John 8, Jesus defends the Adulterous Woman in the face of scorn and says:

Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. John 8:7

Jesus also says:

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5 

We must understand that God is the only judge and He is both all knowing and equitable.

For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Luke 8:17

He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity. Psalm 9:8

 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what a great God You are!  You know all of my sin yet You are full of mercy, patience, compassion, and forgiveness.  Thank You Jesus.  Yet I am not worth such love and blessings.  I worry, and I am harsh with my words and actions.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do. Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo. Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

There are six things the Lord hates-no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.

Proverbs 6

There are six things the Lord hates-no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family. v16-19

Bottom line: God hates sin:

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Romans 12:9

Yet at the same time, God loves all His children equally and all are deserving of grace, mercy, salvation in His eyes.

The notes in Jude 23 of the NIV version are helpful here:

Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others,^[a] but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.^[b] Jude 23

a. 22-23a Some manuscripts have only two categories of people: (1) those whose faith is wavering and therefore need to be snatched from the flames of judgment, and (2) those who need to be shown mercy.
b. 23b Greek with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh.

The suggestion is that those who sin need to be saved (non believers) or be shown mercy (believers).  Sin should be greeted with judgement, not certainly by humans as judgement is reserved for God alone - see also James 4:11-12 (although God provides guidance in Matthew 18:15-17 for how to deal with sin in the church).

I am in the camp that we are to love - never does it say hate anyone and we need to be careful about how we interpret "hate the sin" because I believe we are to hate sin in relation to protecting OURSELVES from sin.  With respect to others, we are to love others as Jesus loves us (John 13:34-35).

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  1 Peter 4:8

This last scriptural reference is consistent with Jesus' reference to the greatest commands (Matthew 22:37-40).

My Prayer: Lord God what a great God You are!  You are worthy of my praise and worship.  You are so full of mercy and grace for me even though I am undeserving.  Thank You Jesus.  Please forgive me for my laziness and my sloth.  Help me overcome my desire for comfort and serve You and others.  Help me turn away from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

How long must your servant wait? When will you punish my persecutors?

Psalm 119

How long must your servant wait? When will you punish my persecutors? v84

I often see the behavior of others, particularly in the context of what they may do to me, and judge others, hoping that perhaps God will intervene to punish them.  Yet judgement is not mine - it is God's and it will come to all, including believers.


Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.  Revelation 22:11-12

There is both comfort (that ultimately perfect judgement from God awaits) and fear (a good fear - one that breeds respect of God's sovereignty and power) in these verses.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an awesome God You are!  You are perfect in all ways, all of the time!  I am nothing without You as I know apart from You I can do no good things and You provide for my every need.  Thank You Jesus!  I love You Jesus and I am desperate for You as I am broken.  I worry and I am easily distracted by the things of this world.  Please forgive me and help me turn from such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do. Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.

Psalm 75

It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another. v7

As humans it is not impossible to form judgements, about people, circumstances...we are constantly making judgements.  However, we should not condemn others regarding their sin.  That is between that person and God alone.  

In the church, however, we are to support and encourage one another by speaking truth into a brother or sister's life.

If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. Matthew 18:15

We are designed to live together (Proverbs 27:17) and to confess our sins to one another.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You alone are judge...and You are just.  You are also full of mercy and grace, holding back punishment when we deserve it, forgiving us, and blessing us also when we don't deserve it. You are an awesome God!  Thank You Jesus as I am not worth such mercy, grace, and blessing.  I am broken...full of arrogance, pride, selfishness, etc.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

James 5

Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! v9

I often grumble about those around me - whether this is my own family, friends, or people I work with - how sinful!  I am no better!  The Bible tells me, beyond today's verse, that this is sinful:

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2

...

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. Romans 14:13

...

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5

...
Instead - God wants us to love... John 13:34, 1 Peter 3:8, etc.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God that ONLY loves.  You have not and do not sin as You are pure, holy and blameless.  And You love me...knowing everything about me, including my sin.  Thank You Jesus. I am not worth such love.  Please forgive me for my judging nature.  Help me overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me love and not judge.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa comfort, strength and freedom from pain.  Please heal her of this cancer - forever.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message today and every day.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.

2 Corinthians 5

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. v16

I have often prayed for God to forgive me for my harsh thoughts, words, and actions in terms of how I think of others...including my own family!  Paul is imploring me to view others through the lens of Jesus Christ and how He sees us...as perfect in His eyes and as one of God's creations worthy of the gospel.  I am reminded of Peter's vision from God in Acts 10

While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. Acts 10:27-28

My Prayer: Lord, You are an awesome God full of love, compassion, and mercy for all...You even came for me...a sinner!  I am not worth such an effort...my sin continues daily and I desperately need You to save me.  Thank You that You love me despite my selfishness, my judgmental nature, etc.  Please forgive me and help me turn from such sins and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do...help me see others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Help me serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.