James 2:8-13
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”[a] you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”[b] also said, “You shall not murder.”[c] If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Jesus was very plain and simple, love your neighbor, for many of us this is hard to do. We have me and my few and that’s all we want. Jesus told us very plainly what we are to do.
Have you ever had a bad day? I mean the bottom fell out and you had no clue what was going to happen, and then more things started going wrong.
You’re sitting there trying to figure things out, when someone sends you an encouraging word or scripture and at that moment you realize you are not alone. When we open our hearts to others we open our hearts to share the love of Jesus.
When Jesus walked the others he loved broken people. That’s what we are supposed to do: love the unlovable; even when we don’t want to. When you start loving others you will see your own heart begin to change. When you begin to pour in the lives of others your own life improves. When we follow Jesus with our whole heart, we love other people. We can restore others in love, without pushing judgment. Correction of sin is not judgment. We are supposed to show the younger in the faith how to walk with the Lord.
Reflect on your life for a moment, can you remember a time that God used someone to minister to you?
Write down what you remember about how you felt before that person reached out:
Do you remember what they said? How did they encourage you?
Is there a person on your heart right now?
How can you share Jesus with them?
Lord, I pray you give me eyes to see people the way you do, give me a heart to love like you do and a mouth to speak love. Help me live my life to be a reflection of you. So that when others see me they see you shining through. Help me to put my selfish ways to the side to reach others for the kingdom of God.
