Do not speak against one another, brothers and sisters. The one who speaks against a brother or sister, or judges his brother or sister, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. James 4:11

Have you ever begun a task only to realize you were in way over your head? The phrase we use for this moment is that we have “bitten off more than we can chew.” We have tried to take responsibility for something that is beyond us. In today’s passage, James provides an example of another way we bite off more than we can chew in daily life. It is easy to pass judgment on someone else. We see their posts on social media, hear their comments in a conversation, or hear a story about them handling something differently than we would. In that moment, it is easy to rush to judgment.

James gave the call not to judge brothers and sisters in the faith because, first, it is against the law God has given us. Where we are called to love others, judgment moves us against and away from them. It also puts us in a place we were never meant to be. We assume the place that only belongs to God. This is not only against God’s design for us, but also too big a burden for us to carry. We do not hold the keys to judge fairly or bring people to restoration; this is something only God can balance perfectly. Our place then is to surrender our judgmental thoughts to God. Submitting to Him reminds us of our place as His creation and our call to love others as He loves us.

• When do you feel most inclined to judge others? Why?
• What are some judgments you need to surrender to God? What is damaging about holding onto judgment against others?
• Pray and confess before God how you have been inclined to judge others and ask Him to move you toward love instead.