"If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps te whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." (James 2:8-10)
Just because we think that our good deeds are suffice for the week does not make it okay in the eyes of God of even the tiniest slip-ups we make. We as Christians do not live our lives graded on a curve; rather, God wants us to be 100% with Him. A sin is a sin is a sin. We break one thing and we break all of it. Sounds a bit harsh, but really, how can we even think about settling for less with this precious life that has been given to us at the expense of Christ's blood?? I guess if you think of it that way, it's such a shame and a waste of Christ's grace and mercy everytime we sin. But God being the amazing being that He is shows us His unending and bountiful grace:
"Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!" (James 2:13)
As we all are sinners, we have no right to judge others for who they are and what they do; because God has given us the gift of grace. So it is not our place to judge or condemn anyone of their faults because we ourselves equally fall into sin and we would like to have that power of grace upon us just as desperately as others.
My prayer is that I would not be so quick to judge. It's so much harder to do than to merely speak of it. Sometimes I feel judged, even just by the person's tone of voice or the way they stare. But instead of judging them right back, I pray for humility and compassion; because I am no different and definitely no better than the friend who doesn't even go to church anymore. I need that daily reminder to myself..
