Don't Show Favoritism

James 2:1-4

1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism.

2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby 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?(NIV)

James’ statements here are pretty clear and direct, aren’t they?  I don’t know about you but sometimes there are people you hear of being discriminatory in regards to the poor and the rich. Not far from my neighborhood, a ministry wanted to open up a home for destitute married couples to get back on their feet from reversals in their finances. You should have heard and seen the uproar that resulted from the nearby neighborhood. Where they were building this center was right next to a town (attached to my home town) that was one of those neighborhoods that had $100,000 to $300,00 homes. They did everything they could to prevent this ministry which was not setting up in their own town from being built. Well they did partially win their case but not fully I am thankful to say. Their reasoning for not wanting that ministry to set up shop so close was they were sure it would bring more crimes and possibly more drugs and possibly more danger to the neighborhood. I grant that some of the couples and people this ministry has been trying to help over the years has had its share of down and outers who have not had a lot of regard for the law or been willing to work, but the people that would be in this particular location were going to be people who had been screened and who were willing to be a productive part of a community, so I really believe that all the broohahah was over nothing. Then too, you had people figuring it was going to bring down the value of real estate in the area. That is hogwash too, but that was the excuse they were making. No concern for these individuals that the ministry was trying to help, only concern for themselves. I was quite disgusted with that town for their attitudes and it was the very kind of attitudes that James condemned in the above verses.

Sad to say, we live in a society that is out for not only self protection-but to the extent of not having any compassion on folks who may be a bit different from themselves, especially in the area of finances. Too many times poor people are looked down on. Too many times they are judged as being lazy good for nothings, when that is not true at all.

As Christians, let us not be guilty of this kind of thinking. Let us not put appearance of someone as more important than what they are like as individuals. There are many poor people-some poor to sudden disasters in their lives-others through ignorance- who have very good characters and in God’s eyes every bit as good as you or me and just as much loved by God as you or me. Let’s not be partial and judging as James says. For then we are having evil thoughts.

Look at yourself and see if you are a person who shows favoritism and if you are, repent, confess it, receive the forgiveness and walk on in your life no longer doing it. May God bless you as you are being purified by the Master.  The Good News Lady