Oh my, it seems like every Saturday lately, I just look back on the week and say, oh my. We keep having roller coaster weeks and I just hope and pray this is not the new norm. This week tragedy struck our own community with the death of almost an entire family that a lot of people knew and loved, and then there is the fact that a 10-year-old boy was on a family vacation and in now the only member of the family left. These were God-fearing, live-out-loud Christians and all of us are very much left asking why. We know that God knows and it is not our jobs to know, but sometimes things are just very hard to accept. The high spot of the week is that we have been praying for Robert to get a specific job and he got it. As I said, so many ups and downs.
This week we are venturing into James 4:11-12.
11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[d] or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
This is a short passage, but one that packs a powerful punch and I am going to share a couple of things with you before I write my own findings.
As many of you know, my son Robert has been on a journey out of alcoholism for a year and a half now. He has struggled a lot but he is trying to focus on God through this whole ordeal. He has been sharing some things on his own social media and he had a post a little over a week ago that I want to share, along with the Trent Tribe video that he was talking about so let's start with that.
Then, I want you to read this from Robert:
This hits me hard. I'm so glad I have a church family that accepted my fault, prayed and supported me even at my lowest. It also reminds me of a line in the song truth be told by Matthew West. That says there's a sign on the door saying "come as you are" but I doubt it. We as members of the church (Not individual churches) but of the earthly church as a whole has it in their heads that you somehow have to already be fixed before you even show up on Sunday. I myself struggle with it with myself. But my question to that is, on the first day of kindergarten did you know how to do multiplication or algebra of have Romeo and Juliet memorized or know the preamble of the declaration of independence? No you showed up and you started at 0 or very close to 0. You came every day and learned more and more. So how is that any different to going to church. If you're a misfit struggling, find a church. If you're a church that doesn't want riffraff in the church maybe you need to pause and think about how Jesus started the church. He took fishermen a tax collector and any other bottom of the totem pole people and taught them his ways to love and raise up others to help those in need. No matter what that need is, You want "proper, clean, sober, healthy, quiet" people at church? If so you aren't going to church to grow, you're going to church for show and dangerous misunderstand what God is seeking for and from you. I hope everyone has a beautiful day today.
That is basically our Bible Study today in a nut shell, but let's take a further look
James 4:11
Highlight= do not slander one another. Explain= Let me ask you something? How hard is it to go a whole day without hearing someone talking badly about someone else? I think you would have to live in a bubble. How much news would be broadcasted if they were not allowed to say anything bad about anyone else? Can the facts be reported without slanting it one way or another? Yes, they can, but it very seldom happens. If it didn't happen, you wouldn't have labels on news channels as being either one political party or another. It used to be facts were facts, but that isn't what is being reported anymore and it is sad. It is almost like the news people have decided we are not smart enough to form our own opinions so they "point you" in the right direction, which obviously, is the direction they want you to see. I am not saying we shouldn't distinguish right from wrong, we are to obey the laws and when we don't, we should be disciplined, but I am talking about everyday living life. I am talking about judging books by their covers, and believing you know someone's intentions when you don't know them at all. Apply= I have heard firsthand people tell me about people who, "you know, they have tattoos all over them and so they probably live a pretty rough lifestyle." I love saying to them, I have tattoos, in fact, many people don't realize it, because you technically don't notice it, but I have tattoos on my face because my eyeliner is tattooed on. And some people judge me for that because it is vanity. I see it as something that I feel personally made me feel better about myself, and I love a little eyeliner but I am also a crier, lol and I would spend time looking like Rocky Raccoon, so I had my eyeliner tattooed on. Now some say that doesn't count. The one on my arm most definitely counts, as does the one on my leg. They represent people I want to always hold close to me, and I seriously cannot understand someone judging me for having a bunch of roses and paisleys on my arm, with a quote in my mom's handwriting or a fish on my leg with my son's handwriting, but they do, and it is okay, it is on them. and that is going to lead to the next verse. Respond= Lord, help me live daily loving people instead of judging, help me remember you made EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. OF. US. Help us remember, you gave us ONE JOB. Seriously, think about the little memes, "you had ONE JOB", our ONE JOB is to LOVE.
James 4:12
Highlight= Who are you to judge your neighbor? Explain= I had a hard time picking my highlight, just make sure you read that first part of this verse several times to yourself. "There is only ONE Lawgiver and Judge". It is not you! Let's look at this big picture. We are all only on this earth for a short while then we go on to eternity, one way or another. Do you get to decide one single person's fate as to which way they go? YES!!!! YOU DO!!! and it is YOU!!! It seems to be human nature to want to take the Bible, hit people over the head with it, and tell them how to live their lives, even when they aren't asking your opinion. Let's remember Matthew 7:5, that says, "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". God gave us the Bible to tell each of us how to live our own lives. If you want more direction on that, you reach out to others, such as this Bible Study, Sunday morning Sermons, other Bible Studies, and many things on social media that can help you delve deeper into your understanding of God, who He is and WHAT HE WANTS FOR YOU!
Apply=There has been an acronym floating around for years for the Bible, Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Our Bibles should be telling us how to live our lives, what we should believe and how we should treat others. As I said earlier, our ONE JOB is LOVE and we are supposed to love every single person enough to tell them about God's love. God loved us all so much that while every single one of us were sinners, he sent his one and only son to die for us. Did you get that while we were ALL sinners?? I know many people who were saved at a very young age, and I know many of them that have led a pretty quiet Christian life trying to do what is right, but newsflash, they still sin. And the ones of them that don't think they do, well, I am still showing them God's love. As Robert mentioned in his post, we don't expect to start school knowing everything and we can't know God's perfect plan for us from day one. But if you are wanting to truly be a Christian, doing what you are supposed to be doing, you need to be focusing on leading people to Him, not leading them out of their sin. That isn't your job. There is not one Bible verse that tell you it is your place to tell someone else how to live their life. Now, I will back up and say, if someone is trying to follow Christ and struggling and asks you what you think, THEN you can tell them, with lots of love and understanding and remembering facts are facts, how you feel about their situation. If they don't ask, it isn't your place to impart your beliefs on them. It is your place to show them the fruits of the Spirit that should be manifesting in you because you are a Christian. As the old song says, "Shine, make them wonder what you got, make them wish that they were not on the outside looking in". I had a manager once who taught me at a young working age that you always catch more flies with honey than vinegar. She was right. (Thank you Geri Woods! ;-)) Let your sweet spirit and non-judgmental love be the catalyst for change. Respond= Lord, help me today and every day be that shining light for you. Help people see a gentle spirit of love for others while using my Bible to remind me of how I am supposed to live MY life. Help me remember to not give unsolicited advice on how others should live theirs. If they are not a Christian, they aren't ready for the dos and don'ts, they are here for the love and comfort and to know that God made them and He loves them and you do too.
A footnote to all of this. I have been faced with several things lately that I truly had to examine what I want and what God wants from me. As I have gotten older and closer to Him, I find it easier to distinguish if I am chasing His will or self glory and it makes it easier to say yes, this is what I want to do, or no, that is not in our plan. I have had two things come up recently that I was asked to participate in, one was an easy yes, one was a pretty easy no. I prayed about both things and got very clear answers that gives me a true peace. That is the privilege of being in God's will. Hope you all have a great weekend!
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