Live by the Law of Liberty

James 2:12-13

12 So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by {the} law of liberty.

13 For judgment {will be} merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.(NAS)

As I mentioned last week, living by the law of liberty, is living by love, the Royal law is a law of love.

James says in verse 12, both speak and act as if you were going to be judged by the Law of Liberty, Love. When you say or do things, do you ask yourself if you are acting out of love? I don’t ask myself that very often and see now I must do that on a regular basis. This is going to be really tough for some folks because there is anger or bitterness or self-pity getting in the way. But look at the next verse, those who have shown no mercy will get none themselves. Mercy triumphs, has victory over judgment, is more powerful than judgment.

Let’s get into our thought life here. You know and I know that many times we have a judgmental attitude toward people in our hearts, even if we don’t say anything or do anything. Have we asked ourselves if our attitudes are loving? Not likely. See when we tend to be judmental toward others, in most cases there is little respect in our hearts for that individual. So the first thing we have to do is get our hearts right. Start taking a loving attitude, rather than a judmental attitude. This way we can start speaking and acting the Royal Law. You see, out of the heart rise the issues of life, out of the heart come the various emotional reactions we have toward others or toward situations, even toward God.

How do you change? Well first you have to catch yourself in your thinking and ask yourself whether your attitude toward the other individual (or even toward God) is judgmental, condemning. Then you have to make the conscious decision not to take that attitude. You have to start looking at the other person from a loving vantage point, a merciful one if you will. This way you will start manifesting God’s love toward others, and His love will operate in you and you won’t be sinning against any one. You may ask, "But I believe such and such about so and so. I have not seen anything to change my mind." This is where you must ask God not only to reveal the truth but ask Him also to change your heart regardless of what truth you believe. He can do it without changing your particular belief about that person. Sometimes we need to learn how to love the unloving and undeserving. God did, so so should we. By the way, were we deserving of forgiveness and love when He died on the cross for us? So, since we weren’t deserving, why should we expect the other person to be deserving? No, we need to do for others what was done for us, and in this way we reflect God and His love and open the way for either salvation or reconciliation.

What if you don’t want reconciliation? Well, what does John say about that?

I Jn 2:9-10

9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.(KJV)

You see God came into this world to bring not only reconcilliation between Him and man, but also between man and man. Look at

Matt 5:23-24

23 "If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24 leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.(NAS)

Notice how important it is, according to Jesus, to have a reconcilliation? He says get that tended to before going to worship God. (When Jews went to worship God, a major portion of the worship was the giving of the sacrifice.)

What about situations where someone has done you wrong, then see

Matt 18:15-17

15 "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

16 "But if he does not listen {to you,} take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.

17 "And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer.(NAS)

Jesus’ comment about letting someone be to them as a gentile or tax-gatherer meant, only after the efforts have been made for things to be straightened out should you consider the relationship broken and not to be sought after. See Jews in Jesus’ day would have nothing to do with gentiles as well as the tax-gatherers. They were basically outcasts to the society. The tax-gatherers were generally those Jews who worked for the Roman government, and they collected taxes for the Roman government, something the Jews at that time were loathe to give as this was a foreign power over them. Yet Jesus did not have that attitude toward them or even their work. He healed the servant of a Centurion, He ministered to Zacchaeus, a tax-gatherer, collector in Jericho, healed the daughter of a Syro-Phoenician lady, called a tax-gatherer to be one of His disciples. No, Jesus did have have the typical prejudices that were practiced by the people of His time on earth. But Jesus does show us that when attempts at reconcilliation have failed, you can avoid dealings with the individual with a clean conscience.

Now some folks are leery of forgiving people that have done things against them because they think that in so doing they have to give the person who has done the hurt cart blanche to do it again. No, you don’t necessarily give them cart blanche to do again what they have done in the past. You can forgive, but also be wary, on guard to prevent them from doing again the offence to you. Sometimes that does mean-no connection or relationship with that person. Sometimes that means just staying friends distantly. Other times it may mean you can resume the closeness of the relationship with reservations. What ever you choose to do, forgiveness is not an option, how you deal with the person is, as long as it is in love.

Mercy triumphs over judgment, James makes clear. You see mercy is much more powerful in God’s kingdom for bringing about God’s will than judgment is. Humans bringing about justice usually don’t suceed in changing hearts, but mercy does. Now I am not saying in every case mercy is going to change hearts, but again it does have more power. Look at what Paul states, he is quoting Proverbs here

Rom 12:20

20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.(KJV)

Proverbs also states that God will reward you for following that advice. I really ought to say command. When you stop and think about it, nothing God tells us to do in our lives is advice. It is direction to be followed, commands. Course lots of people think that what God tells us we need to do is optional, but why should we think that. Obedience is extremely important in our relationship with God. Jesus Himself said, "he who obeys me is the one who loves me." See John 14:21.

So through today and all next week, start working on checking your attitudes toward others using the Law of Love as the ruler to measure your thoughts by, and you will be amazed not only what you learn about yourself, but in how many ways you can display the love of God toward others.

That covers it for today, folks. God bless and have a great weekend. The Good News Lady