For believers and non believers alike, James 2 hits us where it hurts. James was the brother of Jesus and an influential leader in the early church. He knew and understood his brother’s heart well. He knew the battle that all of us face in walking out our faith. He also knew that our battle in walking out our faith is one of the key stumbling blocks to people coming into the faith. We say we believe in Jesus and that we’ve received his salvation but we sit still twiddling our thumbs in our Spirit life. We receive the greatest gift there is of love and mercy but leave it barely opened on the table when it’s time to share it with others. We acknowledge we have this new life of faith and call ourselves believers yet we return to life as if nothing has changed. Do we really believe or not?
We cannot expect others around us to believe we’ve actually received this life giving gift of love and mercy if we cannot show evidence of it. Its like telling your friends you just won the lottery but you continue to live in the ghetto and walk everywhere. Who would believe you? Wouldn’t you buy a home and a car and invite friends over to share your new fortune? How can we tell people that we are owners of the greatest love that has ever been yet fail to love them with it? As James asks, “Isn’t it obvious that God-talk with out God-acts is outrageous nonsense?’ (James 2:17 the Message)
At the same time, showing evidence of the love without believing the One who loves us is equally absurd. It is a waste of eternity. Eternity starts this very minute. We believe in our hearts and the love we’ve received overwhelms us to flow into the lives of others through our actions. Our actions must be consistent. James reminds us that treating society’s best differently from society’s outcasts is dangerous. God’s love is for one and all. Equal treatment. If we love him, we love all equally. Here is where it hurts. Do I really believe Jesus died for every single person in order to reconcile us to God our Father and to enjoy the freedom and abundance of His love for us? Or did he die for the ones with whom I’m comfortable and able to connect. This is hard. It is a pruning of sorts. I must allow God to prune back all that blocks me from loving every person he allows on my path. Some are easy, many simply are not.
Our culture and society tell us that who we interact with matters and we must connect with the right people. This is true; we do need to connect with the right people. The “right people” in the world’s eyes aren’t necessarily the same as those God calls “right”. To God, the right people are those who are hungry and needy and desperate for his kindness to reach them. “God chose the world’s down-and-out as the kingdom’s first citizens, with full right and privileges,” (James 2:6). These are often the difficult people in our lives; the ones who cut us off, who smell bad, who do not fit in. If we’re a part of God’s kingdom and his culture, then we love everyone He loves regardless of how they look, smell or succeed in life.
The world doesn’t know Jesus Christ in large part because we don’t love others with the love we say we have from him. We speak one thing and go and do something entirely different. We stay in our small safe circles of friends, we walk on our narrow safe path through life, we avoid those who might challenge our routine. We tell people we’re saved but we’re unwilling to extend salvation to those who most desperately need it.
Let’s live lives with integrity. “Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.” (James 2:18). Who is in your life that is desperate to know God’s love? Who do you need share His heart with? Sometimes the neediest can be the most offensive. Loving them could be a gesture as small as a smile or as large as inviting them over to eat. Who is God putting in your path that needs his peace and hope. If you believe, then you are filled with his Spirit and He wants to pour out his love out through you. How is he calling you to love others today?
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