In the kingdom of God there are no big I's or little you's for God wants us to be just one big family where each one loves the other with a pure heart fervently. In this family as ordained by the Lord when one member suffers or is in need, the others come to his aid when it is possible for them to do so, and they do it willingly and gladly. When one members receives a goodly material blessing, the others rejoice at his good fortune and do not become jealous.

We are not to strive for honor and fame for ourselves, for Jesus said, "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called master for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant." Jesus is our example and He came as the humblest of men, doing good to all that came to Him. The clothes He wore, seemingly, were the only earthly possessions He had. He said of Himself, "the birds have nest and the foxes have holes, but the son of man hath not where to lay his head."

God is no respecter of persons and neither can we be, but we must be just as kind and courteous to the brother of low degree, regardless of race or color, as to the one of the highest attainments. In Phil 2:3 Paul admonishes us, "Let nothing be done thru strife and vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." This is the true Christian attitude and when practiced it will show to the world that we are really practicing what we preach. This will put a desire in the true and sincere heart to want to know Jesus, too. We cannot live to ourselves but are casting an influence either for or against the truth. Thus, it behooves us to follow our loving Savior's example and to so live that our influence will help to win other souls to Him.

God, No Respecter of Person

James 2:1---My brethren, have not the faith---Jesus was no respecter of persons and He ministered to the needs of all who sought Him. Just as readily and willingly did He restore sight to the blind beggar., Bartimaeus, as He did turn water into wine for the ruler of the feast at the marriage in Cana of Galilee.

Verse 2---A man with a gold ring--- The gold ring and goodly apparel is an indication of material prosperity but has no indication of the prosperity of the man on the inside, or the soul, which is the all important things in the sight of God. The man in the vile raiment might have had a soul that was fat and flourishing, having been fed bountifully at the Master's table.

Verse 3---And ye have respect to him---To give the prosperous looking fellow a desirable seat and tell the other one to stand in an undesirable place is indeed a very good way to show partiality and so offend God. If the poor man were a Christian, he would accept the undesirable place and give thanks to God being allowed to be accorded standing room. "Great peace have they which love thy law" and nothing shall offend them."

Verse 4---Are ye not then partial---It is the way of the world to show favor to the rich and to ignore the poor. The children of God are not of the world to show favor to the rich and to ignore the poor. The children of God are not of the world, and they are not led by its ways; but they are a peculiar people, zealous of good works-works that are pleasing in the sight of God, but not necessarily pleasing in the eyes of the world.

The Rich in Faith Pleasing to God.

James 2:5---Hath not God chosen the poor---Generally speaking, it is the poor who accept the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though they may be despised by the world, yet they are precious in the sight of almighty God. Rich in faith---Those who have made progress in spiritual things are truly rich. They are God's beloved children and are joint heirs with Jesus to the great and glorious kingdom of God. Surely they are rich indeed, for they would not exchange their holdings for all the wealth of this world!

Verse 6---Ye have despised the poor---At this time there was a great corruption among the Jews in administering justice, especially to the poor. Draw you before the judgment seat---This gives us some insight as to how the Christians are mistreated by the Jews who used the law merely as a pretext to punish them and to rob them of their property.

Verse 7---Do they not blaspheme that worthy name---They had rejected Christ, labeling Him an imposter and were bitterly persecuting the Christians who had received Him into their hearts.

Love, The Essence of the Gospel

James 2:8---If ye fulfill the royal law---James refers to Jesus' command to love our neighbor as our own selves, as the royal law, because Jesus spoke these very words while here on earth. Just think how wonderful it would be if the world were obeying this one command! We could all be living in peace and happiness, for no one would do anything to harm anyone. There could be no want for the necessities of life, for there is plenty of everything for everyone if it were properly divided.

Verse 9---If ye have respect to persons---If we love one another as commanded, we could not be guilty of showing partiality; and if we do have respect of persons, then we are not obeying this command and are committing sin.

Verse 10---And yet offend in one point---Though we do keep the whole law of God except for one little point, we have broken His law and have committed sin. Then we are just as much on the way to hell as if we had broken all the law.

Verse 11---For he that said---The law is the Word of God, and to break any part of it is to rebel against His divine authority, and rebellion against God is as the sin of witchcraft, according to 1 Sam 15:23: "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubborness is as iniquity and idolatry."

Obey The Law And Be Free

James 2:12---So speak ye and so do---Let us keep every known command of God so that we may be judged by the law of liberty, the law that has made us free, free from sin and condemnation and the bondage of Satan. If we sin, we become the slaves of the devil, according to the words of Jesus to the Pharisees: "Ye are of your father, the devil and the lust of your father ye will do."

Verse 13---He shall have judgment without mercy---Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount, "Blesses are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." This implies that the unmerciful will not obtain mercy, and more than likely this saying prompted the words of James, "He shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy." To be merciful is to love our neighbor as ourselves and to minister to the needs of the unfortunate around us when we are able to do so.

The keeping of the royal law, loving one's neighbor as himself, surely is the need of the hour. It is God's plan for the men of the earth, and we know that His ways are always best. We never can get into trouble, spiritually speaking by obeying His every command. The affairs of the world are in the awful shape they are today because men are disregarding His laws and are following their own course, which is directed by the devil himself. If we could only get men really to see their need of God and give their hearts to Him and live up to the royal law of liberty, the earth would become a grand and glorious place to live.