"If you really fulfill 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 but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.  For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.  So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.  For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." (James 2:8-13)

I've been reeling with the onslaught of social media posts regarding the City Clerk in Kentucky who refused to sign marriage licenses for gay couples.  She apparently said that her refusal was based on her belief that gay marriage is a sin, and she did not want to condone that sin.  Many, many 'Christians' have jumped on that bandwagon in support of this woman's decision.  They correctly interpret scripture as condemning homosexuality. Unfortunately, they ignore the rest of scripture which deals with the love the Father has shown to us through Jesus Christ, how we are to act toward each other, and why.

I believe this section in James speaks to what our response, as children of the most high God, should be toward 'sinners' - yes, even those who sin through homosexuality.

"If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well."  We are commanded to love our neighbor as ourself to really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture.  So I ask you;  is the gay man down the road your neighbor?  Jesus answered the question of exactly who we should consider a neighbor when asked.  In Luke 10:22-37, Jesus answers this questions through the parable of the Good Samaritan.  

"And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him,“What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”  But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”  Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Who is the neighbor to the gay couple down the street?  According to Jesus, it is the one who shows mercy to them.  Jesus showed mercy to us in that, while we were yet (still) sinners, He died for us.  He didn't wait to show mercy to us until we were no longer in sin! This isn't rocket science, or unknowable theology.  Mercy triumphs over judgement! Jesus told us what to do quite plainly.  "You go, and do likewise."

I have a beautiful friend who is incredibly transparent; with her struggles, with her victories, with her faith journey.  Inspired by her, I decided to try transparency.  I didn’t like it.  Here’s what happened.

For some time now, the Lord has been teaching me to see His gifts in every day life.  "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."(James 1:17 ESV) It doesn’t say every spiritual gift, although we know all of those come from him.  It doesn’t say every ‘big’ gift, although we do give Him credit for those.  It says every gift.  Every kind word, every front parking space when you’re exhausted, every green light when you’re driving your sick friend home;  every good gift is from God. 

This realization has created in me a thankful heart for everything my Father gives me, big or small.  What an incredible thing to realize everything good in my life is from the Lord!  It becomes much, much easier for praise to continually be in my mouth when I’m thanking Him for his constant, consistent gifts.

The next step in this process began a few months ago.  “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”(Romans 12:15 ESV)  I realized that my Father has many children, and He gives them good gifts, just like He gives them to me.  Sometimes, He even gives someone I know a good gift that I wanted, and doesn’t give it to me.  I don’t know about you, but rejoicing with someone who has been given something I prayed for, but didn’t receive, is hard.  I realized that I, while theoretically understanding that my Father has millions of children, wanted to be treated as His only child.  Clearly, I needed to change.  (The second part of that verse is important.  But that's another blog.)

So the Lord has softened my heart, and opened my heart-eyes, to see good things happening to other people as gifts from Him, just as I learned to see His gifts to me.  And, slowly, I am beginning to praise Him for His gifts to others.  Even when He gives them something I wanted instead of giving it to me.

So I shared an abbreviated version of the above with a lady I met today.  Her response was something like 'I’m glad you’re finally learning that, I learned that YEARS ago.  My pastor just preached a sermon about it!  He said it indicates there are things in your life that need cleansing, and that you need peace.'  Ouch.   It isn’t that she was wrong.  She wasn’t.  My Father peals back onion petals to reveal the next thing that needs sanctifying.  I’m very thankful He doesn’t dump everything He wants changed on me at once.  I would buckle under the weight!  I realize there are issues that need change, and it is getting both easier and more spontaneous to thank Him for gifts to others as I would thank Him for gifts to me.  I just didn’t want to hear such a blunt ‘its about time’!  

So now I have TWO things to work through:  rejoicing with others when God gives them good gifts, and taking with grace and wisdom true words that sting.  One more onion petal yanked out.  That’s gonna leave a mark.

‘Better is open rebuke than hidden love.  Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy…Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.’ Prov. 27:6, 17 Even a new friend, I suppose.