Verses to Abide In
“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”
James 2:8–9 ESV
Digging Deeper
Grant Osborne on the phrase as yourself - They must be loved as yourself, meaning that you must have as deep and sacrificial a love for others as you have for yourself. However, this does not mean a "self-disregard" that involves denial of self, nor does "as yourself" reflect a narcissistic centering on self. Rather, it concerns a consideration and care for others as being part of yourself. (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary – James) https://www.preceptaustin.org/james-2-commentary
From The Heart
When I was in junior and senior high school, I was trained for being a leader in church youth ministry. I had such great mentors!
One of the greatest lessons I learned was to make people feel welcomed and loved.
Don’t just talk to the same people all the time. Connect with different people so you don’t have a youth ministry filled with cliques. If those two are talkers during the lesson, sit with them and see if you can help them pay attention.
Be intentional. Know how to share the gospel. Be praying for one another and for others. Be in the word every day so you can love well.
This experience and training gave me a shepherding mentality that each person is valuable in the eyes of God, so they each should be valuable in my eyes too (Luke 15:4; Matthew 18:12).
This week our verse gives contrasts related to the theme of partiality in this section:
• showing love versus showing partiality
• obeying the law versus disobeying it
• doing well versus committing sin
May it be so of us…
Let's Pray
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all (1 Chronicles 29:11 ESV).
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).
We hide your word in our hearts so we will not sin against you (Psalm 119:11).
In your word we put our hope (Psalm 130:5)!
So we trust that this royal law is from your authority (2 Timothy 3:16–17) and ask for your help to obey and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:37–40; James 2:8).
Strengthen us to abide in you, to abide in your word, and to abide in your love (John 15:1–17).
Empower us to walk in the Spirit and bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–26).
Grow us up into him who is the head, into you, Jesus. From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love (Ephesians 4:15–16 ESV).
May our love abound more and more, displaying itself in greater depth, in real knowledge, and in practical insight, so that we may learn to recognize and treasure what is excellent—identifying the best and distinguishing moral differences—so that we may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, actually living lives that lead others away from sin; filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God, so that His glory may be both revealed and recognized (Philippians 1:9–10 AMP).
Yes! Do this work in and through us, Jesus. It is in your name we ask and pray. Amen!
"Abounding In Love, Psalm 103:7-12 NIV)"
In order to love others it is so hopeful to remember how much we are loved. This song helps me with that…
According to the riches of his glory, may God grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breathe and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:16-19 ESV),
Laura