James 2:8-9
New American Standard Version
8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law, according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
Pastor’s Paraphrase
You see, there is a law in Scripture that is a summary of all that our faith stands for – “Love your neighbor just as much as you love yourself.” If you live in obedience to this law, you are doing what is right and pleasing before God. However, if you discriminate and give preferential treatment to someone based on how much money they have, you are sinning in the sight of God and you stand guilty and convicted before Him.
“How does this help me become more like Him?”
Years ago, when I was a Worship Pastor, I had a choir member who refused to sing a song that said, “I just keep falling in love with Him over and over and over and over again.” They felt that it was not dignified and did not reflect their understanding of what faith meant. I was truly sad for him.
Many people are confused about what the Christian life is really all about. In their short sighted understanding, they equate religious tradition, church membership, attending worship, or Bible knowledge with spirituality. These can and should be evidences of spirituality but they can become substitutes for it. One can do all of these things and still not be truly spiritual or even saved, for that matter.
True spirituality, in the New Testament sense, is not a terribly complex issue to understand. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40 " 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." (NLT) The concept is simple but infinitely profound.
In order to be set free from the self-serving shackles of our sinful nature, we must first have a love for our Lord that knows no equal in our hearts. There must be nothing that rivals it for our affection and allegiance. Our pride, ego, ambition, and insecurity must be laid on the ground as we place our love for Christ on the throne of our hearts. We must have no other gods before Him. As we give ourselves to Him with unrestrained love, He takes us in His arms as flawed and scarred as we are with sin, faults, and failures. His willingness to love us in spite of ourselves causes us to love Him all the more. We become enveloped in a love relationship with the One who is love itself.
Only when we love the Lord with our whole heart in this way are we released from the self obsessed narcissism of our sinful nature and set free to love others through Him. Our love is not based upon the carnal motivation of any potential reciprocal benefit but upon the character of Christ that is revealed through us. Our love for Him has so transformed us that we can love others – even our enemies or the unlovely of this world, with His love.
Our search for true spirituality will not find success in church affiliation or religious activity. It will only be found when we are fully immersed in a love relationship with the Master that transforms how we think, act, and feel toward other people. Because He is our vine and we are the branches, we begin to see them as He sees them and love them as He loves them. Though we will never become perfect love as He is – through our relationship with Him and the transformational ministry of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we progressively become more like Him.
“How should I pray for Him to change my life?”
Just spend time today telling the Lord how much you love Him. If you have difficulty expressing this to Him, ask Him to tear down any barriers that would keep you from having the kind of love relationship that He wants with you. Meditate for a few moments on the love He expressed for you when He hung on the cross for your sins.
END
