Mature Judgment
Favoritism – Part 3

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.

The Apostle James does more than a quick mention of this sin of favoritism.  James drives home his point by reminding his readers, in verse five, that God has chosen the poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit God’s kingdom,   the last few words in that verse are extremely important: …“to those who love Him.”  In other words, being poor is not a virtue that earns salvation.  However, it is often the poor who feel very needy and dependent on God for help; this feeling of need for God is what James is highlighting.

If all this is true, and God takes note of the poor in special ways, what does that mean to us?  At the least, I would think we, also, would want to honor those who are poor around us.  Can you imagine what God thinks when He sees someone think of the poor as less than worthy of attention?  I want to be very careful not to show favoritism for people who have worldly possessions.  May God never see me treat, or even think of, anyone poorly because they are poor!  Rich or poor, everyone has great value in God’s eyes; may we be imitators of God.

Our greatest challenge may not be treating the poor with respect; it may be the amount of attention we give to the wealthy.  This will be the subject of tomorrow’s devotional.

Father, forgive me for showing any favoritism to one person over another.  Give me you eyes to see all equally!  In Jesus’ name, amen.