Instruction
Scripture: James2:1-10, 14-18
The book of James is a book that focuses readers on how they
should live in light of the salvation they have in Jesus. It is not
evangelistic in the sense that it does not seek to proclaim the Gospel to draw
people to faith in Jesus. Instead, James’s focus is on those who already know
the Gospel, but whose lives don’t reflect that faith. This portion of the
letter reminds the reader that to break part of the law is to break the whole
of it so that the whole law will be taken seriously. This reading also contains
what is possibly the most famous passage in James where James says that faith
without works is dead. The function of this reading is to urge the reader to love
their neighbors – including the less loveable among them – and to do so with
not mere words, but actions.
Teaching
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” is the second
greatest commandment, and it sums up all the commandments that deal with how we
relate to other people. James was concerned that the early Christians were
showing partiality to the wealthy in their congregations, and that the poor
were being dishonored. Love would have both treated with the same honor.
James also focuses on works as a sign of faith. He wants us
to take seriously that faith in Jesus changes the way we live, and one of those
changes is to love our neighbors enough to actually do good to them. In that
sense, good works are evidence of the faith that saves.
Life
Doing good for others matters. It is how we show people that
we love them, and, by extension, that God loves them. Jesus gives us the
ultimate example of doing good to show love. He could easily have preached and
taught about God loving people, but He did more than preach and teach. He gave
His life because He loves us so much. In doing that He, first and foremost,
saved us from sin and death, and He also gave us an example so that we too
might show our faith in Him by giving our lives (our time, money, interest,
skills) out of love.
Prayer
This prayer is written
in the themes of Thanksgiving, Confession, and Petition.
Lord Jesus, we thank You for loving us so much that You laid
down Your life for us. Thank You for not showing partiality for people who
might be smarter, wealthier, or better than us in some way. Thank You for
choosing us and for lifting us up. And we thank You for the example that You
have set before us so that we might show our faith not only with words but with
actions that display Your love to others.
We confess that we do not always display our faith in You by
the things we do, and that our actions are often selfish and require little to
no sacrifice from us. We have also shown partiality for people who are like us
or have something to offer us. Please forgive us! We have not loved our
neighbors as ourselves!
Pour Your Spirit on us so that our estimation of others will
be directed by His influence in our lives. Help us to learn to show no
partiality – for rich or for poor, but to love all people for Your sake. And we
pray that Your church would be full of good works and acts of love that display
our faith in You to the World. Draw people to Yourself through us, and let our
faith be declared in our words and deeds. Amen.
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