James 4:11-12, “Don’t criticize one another, brothers. He who criticizes a brother or judges his brother criticizes the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”
Critics are not hard to find today in our social media-driven world. It is incredibly easy to leave an ugly or critical response for things that you disagree with, which in turn can spark a thread that becomes more and more critical and divisive. It is also easy to justify why we are criticizing, although, I don’t think we are using that verbiage, we prefer to say, “I was sharing my opinion.” In 2020, there are many issues in our lives that we have a strong belief and feel the need to share.
Criticize is defined as: to find fault with or to consider the merits and demerits and judge accordingly.
How to navigate issues we disagree with
So, how do we navigate the issues we disagree with in a loving way where we are not judging? We have no authority or right to judge our neighbor. There is only one lawgiver and judge! I am guilty of thinking that if I just share my thoughts on this subject, they will see the error of their ways and change. And I am sure that sentiment sparked the initial post that I might be responding to. But many times, our emotions take over, and what could be just a conversation gets heated and out of control.
As Christians, the above verses tell us that we are not to criticize or judge because God is the only one that has that authority. It is our job to love people, period. We can’t love people if we have a critical spirit or a hard heart. Take a deep breath, before responding to a post, or saying something dangerous. Then, take a moment to see if what we are thinking is God approved. Would I share my opinion in that way with The Lord? If the answer is No, then don’t! Our words, both verbal and written, have power. Let us take some time before we use that weapon to make sure what we are about to share is kind and loving.
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Jas 4:11–12). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
Need a Spiritual Retreat? Come join us for a weekend of rest and reflection of “Lessons from the Sea” in Galveston on September 25-27, 2020.
This needs to be on a billboard on every highway in our nation.