James 2 - Who do you love?

DAY 2 DEVOTIONAL

Think back over the last few weeks (since Christmas).  What are the times God has enjoyed spending with you?  The times He laughed with you?  The times He wept?  The moments He captured for His Instagram account.  Thank Him that He has been with you and is with you now.

Personal reflection- Take some time to work through the following questions

Who are five of your favorite people that are meaningful to you.  Why those people?  What makes them stand out?

Who are the people that would list you as meaningful to their life?  Why?

A German quote says “what you yell into the woods is what echoes back to you.”  What does that mean?

Bible reflection- Use the following passage to help you with the next questions:

James 2:1-12

Is there a difference between having favorite people and showing favoritism?

What does it mean to be rich in faith (vs. 5)?

What are the laws that Christians break most often?

What is the law of love?  How does a law set you free? 

What does it mean to extend mercy to others?  Who is God asking you to be merciful to? 

If God is good, what does it mean to you that he desires to extend mercy to you?

Andreas Thoughts

We all want to feel loved and like we matter.  A lot of our focus becomes making this a reality.  For some people thought, feeling loved is difficult just because of their life circumstances.  They were born an aboriginal, the country that they lived in was taken over by a corrupt political ruler and they had to flee the country with one suitcase leaving everything behind (including people that spoke the same language as them), they had a car accident and now are in a wheel chair, their family has a history of violence and it led them to move out onto the streets to escape….alcohol and drugs are taken to try to numb the pain, their brain doesn’t work like everyone else’s and they struggle with a mental illness.  Imagine being in those shoes, that daily that is your reality. 

These people want to feel like they matter.  God has created each of them in His image and has a purpose for their life.  That seems kind of crazy to say.  Imagine walking up to one those people on the marginalize people and saying “God has a plan for your life.”  They would likely laugh at you, curse at you or even try to fight you for being so stupid.  The reality though is, God does have a plan for their life and that plan for their life includes you….yup, you read that correctly.  He has placed you in the city you are in, in the school your are in to intentionally cross paths with people.  You are the hands of Jesus and if you neglect to be those hands their may not be another person to follow up.  Your faith allows you to love others and do good deeds.  What are you going to do today to live out your faith?

Prayer and response-

Ask God to show you people that need mercy, that you need to show kindness to.

As you walk through your school today, ask God to show you 1 person on the margins, the person that doesn’t fit in or is rejected by everyone else.  Why are they rejected, what put them on the margins?  What is God’s heart for that individual.

Ask God to grow your heart for them so that you can receive mercy from him.  God’s heart is for the margin…if you want to meet God head to the margins today.

“Love your neighbor as yourself”….as you learn to love ALL people and intentionally go where others aren’t willing to go, you will find your faith grows as does your love for God.  You will also find that love is what comes echoing back at you. 

God help me today to love others well.  May all the people you bring across my path be loved by me because you have asked me to show them love.  Give me the ability to love well!