February 18, 2022 - James‬ ‭2:1, 8-9

“My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.” James 2:1, 8-9 NLT

Lord, we ask that you help us love everyone like you love us. We don’t want to look down on others because of what they have or don’t have, where they come from, what color their skin is, what gender they are, what their education level is, or any other category that we could use to categorize people. We are all loved and valued by you. Show us how to love everyone the way you love them.

Lord, we ask that you open our eyes to any place that we are looking down on others. Open our eyes to anything in us, that maybe has been ingrained in us by our culture/upbringing that we don’t even recognize, that puts others down or makes them appear less than us. Show us any thought patterns that we have that are not pleasing to you. Break any of these in our lives. Forgive us for this sin. Wash us clean with your blood. Give us a strategy on how we can quickly recognize prejudices when they arise in us and replace them with actions/thought patterns that glorify you. We don’t want to give this sin a place in our lives anymore.

Show us how to love everyone as we love ourselves. We want to be able to share your love with everyone, from what our society would call the elite to the outcasts. We don’t want any fear, intimidation, prejudices, or pride to hold us back. Let our faith be made strong in you and evident by the way we love everyone the same.

In Jesus name, amen.