James 2:8-13 - Show mercy

Scripture: James 2:8-13

Summary: Love your neighbor as yourself. Don't show partiality. Keep the whole law, not just parts. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Thoughts: This whole discussion of the law makes me nervous. The scripture says that we should keep the whole law. That if we fail in one part of the law we are accountable for all of it. It's really easy to convince myself that I am keeping the most important parts of the law. I'm not killing anyone or stealing anything. There's a long list of what Im not doing, that is according to the law, which is all good. But what does God require that I'm not doing?!? The last line of this scipture has a partial answer: "For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment." Although I may be following the letter of the law, I'm not showing mercy to everyone that I meet. To be a true child of God I need to be more open to showing mercy to all. This means letting other cars in to my lane at the last minute, forgiving the person who fell through on a promise to me, or accepting the person who is different from me.

Prayer: May I draw strength from the Holy Spirit today to show mercy to all that I meet in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Romans 14:10-12 - When all is said and done

Scripture: Romans 14:10-12

Summary: Why do you pass judgement on others? Because we will all stand before God's judgement. God says everyone shall give praise to God. We will each be accountable to God.

Thoughts: It's easy to say that many of us spend way to much time judging other people. I can point out alot of times when I have seen others judging those around them in an unfair way. But then I look in the mirror. That's a hard thing! Because I'm judging other people too! What makes me think I am any better than they are? Wouldn't I be better off if I concentrated on improving my own life, rather than telling other people how they could improve theirs? I'm not saying we should never give advice to a sister or brother who might be treading a path that is less than optimal. Rather I'm saying lperhaps I should back off of the judging, the talking about others behind their backs, and spend that time looking at my own life more closely.

Prayer: God, help me to move on toward perfection. Help me to concentrate on my own shortcomings and how I might improve them. Rather than judging others, I should focus on helping them instead. Amen.