Mature Judgment
Favoritism – Part 2

Scripture Reading: James 2:1-13

Key Verse: James 2:1

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

If I took a crisp new $100 bill and crumpled it up and threw it in a mud hole, would you reach down to pick it up?  Of course, we all would because the value of that bill didn’t change simply because it was treated poorly.  This is how God sees all of His created beings.  Some people have been treated poorly from their childhood on up through their adult life.  They might not act right, smell right, or look right.  However, in God’s eyes, they are just as valuable as the person who has had all the advantages from childhood to adult life.

We must be very careful how we judge people.  We want God to view us as having “mature judgment.”  We are mature in our judgment when we purge favoritism and discrimination out of our minds.  This journey to discover and kill discrimination in ourselves is not an easy task.  This is especially true if we experienced discrimination in our homes growing up as a normal way to judge people!

Favoritism can be based on wealth, which is the example that James uses.  However, favoritism is often based on race and/or social status as well.  We can have immature judgment based simply on how a person looks; our world worships a perfectly fit body.  Christ follower, God is watching our judgments; we must be sensitive to any favoritism we may show!

Father, thank you for seeing me as valuable simply because I exist.  Help me to see people like you do.  In Jesus’ name, amen.