Have you ever encountered someone who said: “You are a hypocrite and churches are filled with hypocrites—that is why I do not go there.” That word hypocrite conjures up and inflame emotions. As we hear that we are hypocrites we must stop and ask:
How did they come to that conclusion and is their conclusion right?
Christ ministered to a Canaanite woman; asked for a drink from a Samaritan woman and answered questions of a prominent Pharisee, Nicodemus. Do we offer mercy, love and the Fruit of the Spirit to all we meet without favoritism or partiality as Jesus did? We are to follow his example because we must not be just hearers of the word but doers as well. God in His love sent His Son to redeem us and he did not do it based upon race, gender or national heritage. God is not only impartial but he loves the world—not just you and me.
“Favoritism is not compatible with the Christian faith.”[B. Deffinbaugh].
James is asking his readers do you truly want to show the world that God has saved and transformed you?. If so, they, as we, must fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,”
Ever wonder who you will stand next to in eternity? Take a look at those you pass by each day….it could be one of them. Remember this WWJD?
The word “endure” is repeated as a reminder to lose our focus on the heavenly rewards awaiting us. The faithful of chapter 11 are reminders that, although frail and weak as we, they remained focused on the reward, a better land, that is a heavenly one. They line the sidelines as onlookers of a marathon cheering us onward and like them we also have a race perfectly ordained by our heavenly Father. Now we toil all night not realizing that our Master has a breakfast prepared for us. We stand at the edge of the field of harvest and hear the Master say, look up, the fields are white for harvest reminding us “The one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together.” The Master’s yoke is easy and his burden is light so run as a soldier who has trained outfitted in spiritual armor.