Wednesday, August 21, 2019

James the Just - Part 7 - Love's Royal Law

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  James 2:8

James remembered his brother Jesus telling this little story of the GOOD Samaritan.  In the story Jesus makes the Samaritan mongrel a hero, and the religious Jewish leaders the mutts! 
That well-known “little story” teaches us four lessons about loving under the “royal law” of Jesus…
     1.    We Should Love People Even When It’s Unpopular
In Jesus’ story, the Samaritan helped a Jew.  He would have been in trouble from both sides of that coin.  The Jews would’ve hated him because they hated Samaritans; the Samaritans would have despised him for having anything to do with a Jewish bigot; a little like the predicament you’d get if Jesse Jackson decided to join the KKK!
The point is, no matter the popularity, love people anyway.  Someone will always disapprove – but God will approve!  He looks at your heart, while others can only see through their prejudiced filters.
     2.    We Should Love People Even When It’s Inconvenient
There is no “good” time for ministry.  The opportunity to minister and love others is something that comes upon you.  In the story, the Samaritan was on a business trip.  It wasn’t pleasure – he was in the land of those that hated him but found it convenient to do business with him. 
The religious leaders had to be somewhere else – church meetings, whatever…  The Samaritan had stuff to do too – he was just a bit more ready to love.  If you’re going to live by the royal law of love, you need to be ready when God is!
     3.    We Should Love People Even When It’s Unprofitable
It cost the Samaritan to care for the man.  Besides the discomfort of other people’s looks, he put the beaten man on his own saddle, and walked while the wretched Jew rode.  When they got to town, the Samaritan paid for the man’s room at the inn.  He even promised to pay more if that’s what it took. 
In every way love costs; if it doesn’t, it isn’t love!  And great love is very costly.  If you doubt that, go back to the Gospels and check out the cross.  It cost God a whole lot to love your sin away.
     4.    We Should Love People Even When It’s Uncomfortable.
The Samaritan could not have been very comfortable with what he did when he took the first step towards that ditch.  I can imagine his what went through his mind:
     ·      What am I doing here? 
     ·      I don’t even know this guy. 
     ·      Man, this Jew smells…don’t they ever wash? 
     ·      My wife is gonna kill me, this money was to buy a new milk cow. 
     ·      Aw, man, look at this guy’s eyes – he’s gonna die if someone don’t help him. 
     ·      Okay…c’mon my little Jewish pain in the neck. 
     ·      Get up on that saddle; Samaritan pushover’s gonna give you a ride to the doctor.
You and I have our comfort zones.  The Samaritan didn’t LIKE the Jew.  But he did love him.  You will probably experience discomfort when you love – but that’s what happens when you live by the royal law of love. 
Favoritism and prejudice are sinfully wrong.  It shames the poor, divides the church and leads people astray.  Living as a follower of Jesus Christ means a higher road, looking up, loving.  And loving according to the royal law; it means loving even when it’s unpopular, inconvenient, unprofitable, or uncomfortable.
For You Today
When you love others God changes things.  It’s the way He set things up in this universe.  His rule is that mercy triumphs over judgment. 
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

 
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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of  Wikimedia Commons     Unless otherwise noted, Scripture used from The New Living Translation©

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