This weeks blog message is called, "Pedestrians." Have you ever been annoyed by pedestrians while driving your car? We've all been there. A person walks out in front of us (because they forgot what they were taught when they were 4 years old) and we secretly desire to lay on the horn or the gas. Pedestrians walk through lives everyday. On the job. At the store. Even while we are driving. The question for us this week is, "how do we treat other people?"
James 2:1 says, "My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism."
How do we show favoritism? How do we treat people unfairly? We do this by discriminating towards others. Here are some common ways that we do this.
Appearance -- We discriminate often because of appearance.
Ancestry -- We judge people according to their race, their nationality, their ethnic background.
Achievement -- Our society is all about the winners and forgets the losers.
Affluence -- the most common distinction. We judge people by their wealth -- whether they're rich or poor -- their economic status.
This is the area that James picks out of all the areas we can discriminate in. He talks about economic distinction. v. 2 "Suppose a man comes to your meeting wearing gold rings and fine clothes and a poor man in shabby 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 over there' or `Sit on the floor at my feet', have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"
None of us can imagine doing this purposely, especially at church. We could maybe discriminate towards others in our every day lives, but certainly not at church. James uses this example to show us why favoritism should not be a part of our lives. I'll share the 3 reasons why tomorrow.
James 2:1 says, "My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism."
How do we show favoritism? How do we treat people unfairly? We do this by discriminating towards others. Here are some common ways that we do this.
Appearance -- We discriminate often because of appearance.
Ancestry -- We judge people according to their race, their nationality, their ethnic background.
Achievement -- Our society is all about the winners and forgets the losers.
Affluence -- the most common distinction. We judge people by their wealth -- whether they're rich or poor -- their economic status.
This is the area that James picks out of all the areas we can discriminate in. He talks about economic distinction. v. 2 "Suppose a man comes to your meeting wearing gold rings and fine clothes and a poor man in shabby 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 over there' or `Sit on the floor at my feet', have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"
None of us can imagine doing this purposely, especially at church. We could maybe discriminate towards others in our every day lives, but certainly not at church. James uses this example to show us why favoritism should not be a part of our lives. I'll share the 3 reasons why tomorrow.