Mature Judgment
Favoritism – Part 4

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.

Wealthy people struggle to feel needy, even for God.  If they are not established in biblical principles, they would have a hard time asking God for their “daily bread.”  The truth is, wealthy people have daily needs like the poor, but they often can’t see it.  This is undoubtedly the reason Jesus said it was hard for a rich man to enter heaven (Matthew 19:24)

When we are around wealthy people, it’s hard not to treat them differently than the other people in our lives.  For example, loving on poor people can’t be construed as trying to get something in return—they have little to give.  Loving on rich people, on the other hand, can easily be motivated by the thought of what they could do for us.  This is not an easy fact to ignore.

As believers, once we are aware of this sin of favoritism, we can seek God’s help in eliminating it from our lives.  The Holy Spirit is able to remind us when we start down the path of treating people according to their status in life—whether that is wealthy or any other factor.  I’ve been prompted a few times by the Spirit of God to be more attentive or less attentive, when God knew I was starting to be partial to someone.  Believer, let’s remind ourselves that God sees the motives of our hearts and knows why we treat people the way we do at times!

Father, search my heart and see if there are any offensive ways within me!  In Jesus’ name, amen.