James 4:11-12 (NLT) 11 Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. 12 God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?
Some times when we see a certain person acting a certain way or see them doing things that are so plainly wrong, we think to ourselves why would they do such a thing? We wonder why people use other people or things to get what they want or why they do things that can only bring themselves harm whether physically or emotionally.
Most times people don't just wake up one morning and decide they want to be "bad"…or do things they know are wrong. Just like there are steps to doing the right things…to learn to create good habits, the same is true for bad ones. There was a process or life changing event to get people to those things in their life. Whether it was…something that happened in childhood, through a life without a parent or maybe something traumatic that happened in their adult life; these are the many things that can cause us to act one way or the other.
Luke 6:31 (NLT) 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
No matter what it is…we have to learn to separate the sin from the person. We can't walk around hating people or constantly talking about all the wrongs they do. We can't shun people or curse them with our mouths because they sin differently than we do…because make no mistake about it, we all sin. We all have bad habits, wrong thoughts and even sinful intentions…but, we wouldn't dare consider labeling ourselves as "bad". So what makes us…or better put, gives us the right to do it to others?
Have you ever heard the saying Hate the sin, but love the sinner? While I have found no scripture or biblical truth to that; I believe that God despises sin, but loves the person and some how we have to learn to do the same. We have no idea what has brought this person to this point in their life…and regardless of what it is we are not their judge. Instead of adding to the sin with hurtful words of gossip or condemning actions for judgment, we need to stop and pray for them instead. Can you imagine the affect, we as a people would have, if we prayed for those in trouble, in need or lost instead of cursing them? Can you imagine how good it would make you feel to know that even the person that you have wronged is praying for you and your actions?
Romans 5:8 (NLT) 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
You know; something I constantly find myself saying is…I'm so thankful that God is not like man. Where would we all be if God, who has the right to turn from us or curse us because of our sins, did as we do to others? I am so thankful that He is a forgiving God and He sees past my sins to the person that He truly created me to be. This is something that has truly been weighing on my heart and mind. So today, I sincerely ask God to help me to pray for those that are wrong or doing things that they shouldn't be…whether towards me, others or themselves. I pray that God will help me to separate the sin from the person and have a heart of love and compassion towards them, just as He does me. I thank God today, that He is not like man and that He truly loves me in spite of myself.
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