“Love your neighbor as yourself.

“Love your neighbor as yourself.
S- James 2
8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. 11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder

O-  What God is saying here in this scripture is that it is easy for us to love our friends or love those who love us,  but we are to love our neighbors,  who work with us, live next door,  pass us in the supermarket, are our bosses, are our advesaries.   The laws and obedience to them are  gift from God, not a punishment.  When we follow them we receive the gift of peace and wholeness.   We we disobey even just one,  though we are forgiven by grace,  we are punished by our sin and its separation from God's best for our lives. 

A -  The application for me today is to continue to work on loving all those in my life as my self.  The falling short I have often done is surrounded by some great anger , disappointment or disapproval of someone in my home life,  at work, even in the church. I know the Lord is telling me start afressh and do not be quick to judge and comparmentalize who is for me and who is against me,    who I love to be around and who I want to avoid.   Instead he would have me love them all like good neighbors treating them as I would want to be treated.

P -  Dear heavenly Father, thank you for this lesson, may it be sealed to my heart.  I confess I have harbor ill feelings in the past toward people I struggled to be around ,   I was wrong and I need your help to let go of those past offenses I have held onto.  Help me as I go forward to see people as you see them, and learn to love them all as neighbors.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.