James 2: 8 You will be doing the
right thing if you obey the law of the Kingdom, which is found in the
scripture, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” 9 But if you treat people
according to their outward appearance, you are guilty of sin, and the Law
condemns you as a lawbreaker.
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Approaching a
person with tattered clothing was easy. I felt comfortable “telling” him or her
about GOD. But approaching a person in an elevator who wore expensive clothes
made me hesitate.
- I said to myself, “He or she won’t want to hear this message.”
- I convinced myself that one group was easier to speak to than others.
- I inadvertently treated people different based on socio-economic status.
James continues to
warn everyone about mistreating people based on appearance. He drives the point
deeper by stating tat everyone should “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” He also provides
what would happen if mistreatment occurs based on appearance.
My Observations:
- GOD wants me to value everyone as much as HE values them.
- GOD wants me to see how much HE loves people, so I have to look at people differently.
- GOD gives me an easy way to treat people well, namely love people as I love myself.
Treating people on different levels is
easy to do, especially if he or she looks different than me. I mean, I cannot
possibly know what is inside of someone’s heart by looking at him or her.
Lavishly dressed people may be full of as much hatred as a tattered dirty
dressed person. They also could be full of love. Who can tell? GOD can!
HE wants me to see him or her as a person
who need the love of GOD as much as I do. HE wants me to think “What would I do
and feel if I were in this person’s situation? Would I be afraid to ask for
help? Would I be too proud? HE then wants me to take action and do “the right
thing.” I am glad GOD does not judge me based on my masks, because HE knows my
heart.
Challenge
- Why does the writer emphasize treating people the same?
- Have you ever looked at someone and thought differently about him or her solely based on appearance?
- Will you practice seeing beyond outer appearance so you can embrace the love of GOD for him or her today?
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