Are we playing favourites...

"My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 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,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?"- James 2:1-7.

As I've been doing a lot of reflecting on our church and on my own life I am realizing more and more how often we play favourites; whether this be in regards to personalities we prefer or the money someone has or seems to have. We live in a materialist society in which those who look good are listened too. We play into the worlds view of worth but this is not the way God measures us. As in a previous blog I wrote called "The last shall be first", I quoted Luke 6, in this we see Jesus saying that the poor are blessed because they inherit the Kingdom of God. It is clear that God measures our hearts, not our wallets, clothes or the things we have. So why then do we pour favouritism onto those who wear "a gold ring and fine clothes" over the "poor filthy" one? Why do we turn people away in need? Why do we bend over backwards for those who feed into our selfishness but will in the end be our ruin? Again I think this is how we've fallen prey to the way the world works instead of keeping our focus on the kingdom of God.

I love fashion and clothing. A struggle for me is the willingness to give this up in order to give someone else more. As I was talking with a friend of mine about a week ago we were discussing whether we would give up our comfort to make someone else feel comfortable. Are we so focused on our looks and how people perceive us that we forget about the man James talks about in those verses; the one that will inherit the Kingdom of God? hmm.

Street Children - Guatemala

Guatemala

New York City

What am I willing to give up for them?

- T.