CindyLou,
Jesus & I Both Love You But He Will Always Love You So Much More Because You Are His Beautiful Child. Thanks So Much For Sharing This & I Hope You Have A Great & Glorious Weekend!,
Iris

Great blog Cindy!

Someone commented on one of my bogs one time that yes, we are supposed to love our neighbor as ourselves. And then he said, "If you hate yourself, don't be loving on me!"

Those words really stuck with me as will the words you have spoken here today.

Thanks.

wOW! vERY well put Cindy Lou...you've hit on something that's been nagging at me too...people who say they love me but never put me in their thoughts when i need them...do i do that to them? i'm sure i sometimes do as i'm not perfect but when i say i love you, i mean it...and i want to KNOW you.

but knowing is a two way street...sometimes you can reach out and reach out...and never been accepted...when is the point at which you stop trying? there have been some i've tried with on line and in real life over and over and over and over...and it goes no where. why is that? are they too busy, too bored, not interested? selfish?

God commands us to forgive one another even when people do not treat us right? but if u know a CHRISTIAN is saying things just b/c it sounds good, or they think they are fulfilling the scripture...well that one is a little harder to take, esp. when u know them well...they may even be your family members...ever dealt with that? i have...maybe some others here have too...

one of the hardest lessons i think for christians is to LOVE THEIR NEIGHBOUR AS THEMSELVES..WHY IS THAT? Maybe it's because we're selfish ...perhaps also it is because we don't love ourselves enough to love someone else...Showing another LOVE can help them grow in LOVE. i like the people on here who teach on the subject of LOVE....so we can GROW IN LOVE if WE ARE WILLING. GOD BLESS YOU!

Hi CindyLou: You don't know me and I really don't know you, but my name is Darlene and I read your blog about James 2:8. I just wanted to comment and say that the theme of James chapter 2 is: The mature christian is patient in testing but he also practices the truth. Immature people takl about their beliefs, but the mature person lives his faith. Hearing God's Word and talking about God's Word can never substitute for doing God's Word. James wanted to help us practice God's Word, so he gave us a simple test. He sent 2 visitors to a church service, a rich man and a poor man. And he watched to see how they were treated. Why? Because the way we behave toward people indicated what we really believe about God. You can't separate human relationships from divine fellowship. So, when you talk about verse 8 you also have to use  verse 9.

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "you shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well: but if you show partiality, yo commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

The command here is to pursue meeting the physical health and spiritual well being (as you would for yourself) of one's neighbor. Neighbor being all within one's spere of influence. Now in James the church was showing partiality to people and this is what James is telling us not to do. And in V9 the word "if" in the original greek that it was written in is translated "since" so it reads "but since you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors." Their behavior was not occasional but a continual practice. So the emphasis here is really not on friendship but on our obedience to treat everyone the same no matter what.

Some verses on friendship are

Sorry, I wasn't through.

A friend is one whom you can be yourself with and never fear that he or she will judge you. A friend is someone that you can confide in with complete trust. A friend is someone that you respect and that respects you, not based on worthiness but based upon a likeness of mind. Therefore, I do not believe that people can be true friends if they only know each other on line because you really don't know who is being truthful or not. We can only be responsible for how we treat others. And if we are truly Christians and obey the word of God and rely soley on His Promises and Truths then we will accept others for who they are, faults and all. So if someone casually tells you that they love you and you think that they are not sincere then just don't let it bother you. Know why? Because God loves them just like he loves you! And of course tyhe real definition of a true friend comes from Paul:

Wow! That is true friendship. Remember that God love you like no other so when you feel slighted by someone or think that they are not being real, or getting to know you then just take it to your Heavenly Father and let him deal with it! He wants to and hey it only makes our relationship with him stronger!

Have a wonderful day,

Darlene (Gigi)

CindyLou: My point exactly, MyChurch is a starting place for many good christian relationships, but meeting them is the key. Some people on here are just looking for a "romantic relationship" and really aren't truthful at all. We live in a day and time where we have to be leary of predators while trying to be Christ Like, Whew, we really have to be on our toes and keep our mind sharp.

Have a blessed day,

Darlene