^"1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. ² Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. ³ If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” ⁴ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?  ⁵ Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? ⁷ Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?  ⁸ If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. ⁹ But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers."

James 2:1-9, New International Version

Love your neighbor as yourself.  Makes sense doesn't it?  Most people are in love with themselves.  They'd do anything for themselves.  They think of themselves before they think of anyone else.  At least those who haven't been fooled into thinking that loving themselves is wrong.  Not the prideful, arrogant love that the secular world knows.  I'm talking about the genuine, I've-been-created-in-God's-image sort of love.  That's how we're supposed to love ourselves.

False guilt impresses no one.  Blatant, outward shame of oneself will not attract quality, loving, or lasting friendships.  Re-living the past through repeatedly apologizing for things that others have long since forgotten about will not make you more lovable.  Do you want to attract friends?  Do you want to keep those that you have?  Love yourself.  I don't know how to tell you to go about doing that ... I'm approaching the first step of that steep learning curve myself.  I'd start with this though ... God sent his only son Jesus to die for you, and for me, so that we might get to spend eternity with Him.  That's how much God loves us.  If my sinful, selfish, arrogant, worthless life was worth Jesus being put to death ... then I'm worth loving ... and it begins with me.  I know I'll get there.

As we're learning to love ourselves, we need to continue loving others.  That's been easy for me.  I tend to put the needs and concerns of others before myself.  It's easy for me to tell my wife, or a family member, or my dogs, or a close friend "I love you."  For whatever reason, that comes natural to me.  Loving ourselves, and loving others is the cornerstone of avoiding being judgmental.  Judgmental Christians annoyed James ... annoyed him enough that he called them out in the second chapter.  The day you start thinking you're better than others simply because of what you have ... my friend, you've lost your way.  I'm not telling you to sell everything you own and live a pauper's life.  I'm simply encouraging you to love people, in spite of how they may look, or because of what they don't have.

In the video above I'm singing a song called "I Lost it All."  It's about a homeless man who came on hard times.  His family was killed in a car accident while he was driving.  His life fell apart, and he eventually lost everything.  A passerby ignored the man every day on his way to work, until one day he saw him on the news.  The next day he picked him up, and was intent on helping him.  The passerby realizes how easily that could be him standing on the side of the road, and it changes him.

You don't have to pick up every homeless person you see and help them find a job, or buy them a meal.  Maybe you can volunteer at a shelter some time ... or a local food bank ... or soup kitchen.  God calls us to love the disadvantaged and the underprivileged.  I'm not the best at doing that, but I've done a lot, and it's always been very rewarding.  Watch the video above, and ask yourself who you can help.  But for the grace of God, there goes us.  God bless you.  Good night.