Don't Do It!

James 4:11-12

 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against 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 only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

So I am driving into work today and all the talk on the radio is about how one football player is calling a coach a racist. Now there is one thing I have learn about public speaking and speaking on the topic of racism …  Don't Do It! You are bound to either hurt someone’s feelings or start some conversation that will hurt someone’s feelings…  so the easy thing to do would be to change the subject, but I am going to embrace this one because it illustrates this passage so well today.

So the Eagles coach (Chip Kelly) cut or traded a handful of players that were really good. Some of those players happened to be black and one of those players has been on the news recently claiming that it was because of racism that the white coach cut the black players.

Please understand: I know that racism exists and is a terrible thing, and many people have to live under a cloud of racial injustice their entire lives and that offends God and it is simply wrong.

Maybe the coach is a racist and this player has some experience that he hasn't shared with anyone…  but as of right now the only thing they are going on is that he cut a few black players from the team. No other evidence.

Then, when you take 2 seconds and look at the situation, you realize that he also cut white players, and this one black player that was traded was then replaced with 3 black players…   now, again, maybe there is some racism that we have not heard about, but for now all that this guy is saying is that the coach is racist because he traded him for more black players. It’s a silly argument. The player looks foolish making these unfounded claims.

So many times we choose to speak evil against someone else without getting to know them or getting to understand them. There is a difference between not understanding a person and choosing to make evil stuff up about them.

As a Christian, even when you know you are right, you need to always think about what you are saying and remember to demonstrate “Love” in everything you do.

1)         We know we shouldn't judge people because we know it hurts us. Tell about a time that you got hurt by someone judging you.

2)         We all know and say that it’s wrong to judge others, yet we are all guilty of it often…  where do you have a problem judging people?

3)         “Do not speak _________ against one another, ___________.”

4)         Take a minute and journal about this.

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Written by Jeffery Harkins