Day 77 - joy and judging

Extreme Faith Workout
www.gbcwestlake.org

James 4:9 - "Be wretched and mourn and weep. let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom."

Compare James 4:9 to the following:

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 - Solomon decided to pursue pleasure, but going after everything that his heart desired. This is in opposition to James 4:9, which is about mourning over your sin, which comes from a pursuit of selfish desires.

Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 - This is in line with James 4:9, saying it is better to mourn, because that is the state of your heart and then joy comes, rather than just pretending everything is o.k. and trying to be happy.

Luke 6:20-25 - This is a blessing for those who follow James 4:9, as Jesus talks about the blessings in the future for those who are mourning (for the right reasons).

Luke 18:9-14 - The tax collector, in Jesus' story, was a great example of James 4:9, because he was truly sorrowful for his sin.

To be sorrowful over our sin is not to contradict God's command to always rejoice. Both are necessary. The grief felt over sin will lead to the joy that comes from God's forgiveness and living for Him.

Why is judging or slandering someone the same as criticizing and judging God's law (4:11)?

Because God's law, the Bible, tells us to love one another like ourselves. It also tells us that people are made in the image of God, and it is wrong to judge them. So, when we judge or criticize others, we are not loving them, or treating the image of God appropriately. Therefore, we are actually speaking against God and His Word.

To accuse brothers and sisters in Christ is likened, in Revelation 12:10, to what Satan does.

Jesus Christ, instead of judging us, becomes our advocate, our lawyer, as He laid down His life so that we might not have to endure the rightful judgment for our sin.

Even if it is true, we must only speak against others actions if it fulfills what God has asked of us in His Word, to confront sinful behavior.

Slander is speaking against someone to take them down and hurt them. Constructive criticism, as it is called, can be negative things said to a person, usually in private, for the purpose of improving them and lifting them up. The difference is usually in the way it is given and in the motivation for it.