02.18.04

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well. - James 2:8.

Michelle Molina may have been having a bad day when she became a little upset at the manager of a McDonalds in Pleasantville, New Jersey. Michelle had placed a somewhat extensive order but the order did not arrive fast enough for her. Being angry over the slow service and cold food she cursed the manager and then poured a milkshake over the manager’s head. Apparently, this resulted in Michelle being arrested and charged with assault and criminal mischief. It all happened in a place called “Pleasantville.”

I think we can agree that Michelle was not following the “royal law” in her little escapade. However, many of us may have been tempted to do something similar - so let this be a warning to us of the consequences of such a thing! The fact is that following the “royal law” is usually to our advantage and we avoid many problems by not giving in to our fleshly urges. In addition, when we follow the “royal law” we find “life and peace” (Romans 8:6). When we follow our fleshly urges we quench and grieve the Holy Spirit and the result of following those urges is “death” (Romans 8:6).

Who is the King of kings? Jesus. If you know Jesus as your Savior you are part of the royal family of God (John 1:12). As children of God, we are called to a higher standard of living than children of the world are. We are to be the “salt” of the earth, a preserving influence flavoring the world with which each of us interacts. What a refreshing thing it must have been for that McDonald’s manager when someone else encountered something similar to Michelle Molina but instead of flying into a rage said something like, “don’t worry about it,” or “it’s okay.” Or, they just picked up their order and left knowing that it may have just been that someone there at the McDonalds was having a bad day and there was no need to make it worse.

Are you living like the Prince or Princess that you really are? Are you the “salt of the earth” bringing the flavor of real life to all you encounter? Are you the “light of the world” bringing the light of life to every dark place you encounter? Isn’t it time to take seriously the “royal law” of God? If we who are part of the royal family of the King of kings would live by the “royal law” what a different and wonderful world it would be.