Firm Foundation - Free to be Free

Free to be Free 

Reading the book of James, a few verses caught my eye regarding our love walk in Christ. I heard an admonition in my spirit for this devotional. 

The message was simple:

"Let go of grudges and hurts. Don't carry them over another day. 
It is destructive to your health and well-being."

As I pondered those things, examining my heart and reading James, the first verse in chapter two stood out.

"My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism."

The text gives the example of catering to those who are rich and shunning those who aren't.

James goes on to say in verses 8-10:

"If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself' you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking it all."

It's favoritism when we say we love some but harbor grudges or hang on to past hurts with others. How?

When someone we don't know well commits an offense against us we forgive and let it go. BUT, when someone close to us says or does something we don't appreciate...well now, that's a different story, right?

Wrong! Forgiving one person and not another shows favoritism. "I can forgive him, but I can't forgive her." Or, "That person didn't do it on purpose but 'you'...so I'm going to give you the cold shoulder until I feel you've made it up to me."

In our family dynamics, whether natural or spiritual, we're to forgive as Christ forgave us.

He knows us, our motives, our propensity to mess up and yet He readily forgives each of us.

Looking at the way we forgive we can discover to what degree we're operating in the sin of favoritism.

(This doesn't mean we allow people to continue sinning against us in harmful or dangerous ways. But we do forgive them and commit them to God to sort it out. We remove ourselves from the abusive situations.)

God wants us to walk in love in word and in deed. Favoring one person over another means we're sitting as judge and jury. When, in fact, "We all stumble in many ways..." (3:2) God alone is judge. Only He is righteous and fair in all His judgements.

Let's take stock of today's exhortation to let go of any and all grudges.

Why should we allow those issues to eat us up on the inside? It will take over our whole being. Trust God. His ways are higher than our ways.

He knew what He was doing when He commanded us to forgive and not show favoritism.

"Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says...that one will be blessed in what he does." (1:22 and 25b)

Prayerfully examine your heart regarding those around you as well as those near and dear.

If you've got a scorecard chalking up hurts giving you permission to hold onto grudges, realize you are the one who will lose out...on the blessing that comes from being a doer of the Word.

You, in essence, elevate yourself (as rich - in the right) and they're "wrong" (as the poor - in the wrong). Oops, now we've clothed ourselves in rags not riches.

• Let's humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord.
• Let's examine our hearts. See with His eyes.
• Let's toss out the garbage of grudges, hurts and offenses. Even those hiding in the shadows.

Yes, what freedom and joy spring forth out of a pure heart...one that is clothed in His righteousness, one that enjoys favor with God and man. Oh, Hallelujah!

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