Daily Verse: James 2:8

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.
 

This one can be tough. If only God’s Law instructed us to love the neighbor that we get along with…the neighbor that we like…the neighbor that agrees with our beliefs and principles. Then it would be so much easier. But in the text above, God doesn’t seem to put anyone description on “neighbor”. Instead it takes a very general approach, implying that “neighbor” is to perhaps be anyone that we come in contact with. In fact, in Matthew 5:44, God’s Word goes so far as to instruct us to actually LOVE those that we call “enemies”. Wow, that seems ridiculous and impossible! But if we step back and examine our relationship with God, we see something else that appears ridiculous and impossible. We could argue that each time that we sin, we are basically declaring ourselves as “enemies” to God…we are opposing his will, ignoring his commands, and disregarding his instruction. Yet each time that we return to him, tuck-tailed in repentance, he embraces us with this kind of ridiculous and impossible love. He points to his Son and reassures us that his love for us in unchanged. He reassures us that Christ has done the time that we are due and that despite our foolish behavior…despite appearing as enemies to him…we are forgiven and loved. May we remember this ridiculous, impossible, and incredible love and forgiveness from the Lord the next time our neighbor does something that gets under our skin…and respond with love, understanding, and compassion. To God be the glory!