A Gift of Tattered Rags

If, however, you are fulfilling 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. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. (James 2)

We enjoy being with some people while we try to avoid others . There are people who have hurt us and our natural reaction is to break off communication. It's interesting how certain school age bullies and rough edged church members of the past come to my mind. Even though we try to “excommunicate” them from our lives, they live on in our memories like haunting spirits. If they are still physically in our lives, we may still be avoiding relating to them. Perhaps it is time to tell God that we forgive them. Maybe we should start loving those that we still can. Who of us is not guilty of being partial?

In fact, it is impossible for us, in our fallen condition, to fulfill the commandment to love our neighbor. There are some people that we can just not naturally love. And, even when we sacrifice for others, our gift can be tainted with self-love. Some people are great givers as long as the recipients of their gifts express gratitude. But, what happens when the giving has no noticeable return or is taken for granted? Is it time to stop giving?

We can not genuinely love our neighbor or even Jesus unless we have received God’s own spirit of love. My love is tiny and polluted but God has pure love like an ocean. He wants to give us His glorious Love so that we can sincerely love our neighbor and Him. His hands are full of gifts of love and wisdom that He is eager to give to all those who have recognized their own need and just ask. But, instead of accepting God’s wonderful gifts in order to give to others, we tend to offer our neighbor the tattered rags of our own human love and wisdom.

Project:
His glorious gifts are ready and waiting. Let’s just ask.

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13)