James 2:1-13English Standard Version (ESV)
2 My brothers,[a] show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a
gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby
clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention
to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,”
while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my
feet,” 4 have you not then made
distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved
brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in
faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored
the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag
you into court? 7 Are they not the ones
who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?
8 If you really fulfill
the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as
yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show
partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as
transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the
whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not
commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but
do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as
those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without
mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
When
read this passage I think of three stories that I have heard related to this
passage. One of them I can’t remember
well but it was of a young boy who was denied entrance to a church
service. When someone saw him sitting on
the church steps they let him in. This
young boy became an ambassador for Christ.
I wish I could remember who it was but I have forgotten and Google
didn’t help me out at all! There was
also a story about a poor man who came to church late and went to the front and
sat on the floor. A deacon in the church
and a well dressed, well mannered, man saw this and walked to the front of the
church. The other attenders thought that
he was going to ask him to move but instead he sat down beside him. The last story that I heard was about a
pastor who dressed like a homeless man and came to church. No one recognized him until he got up to
preach this passage.
How
do we treat others who have less than us?
It is hard to know if we are enabling or helping them when we provide
for them and I believe there is a fine line.
Have you ever encountered someone who was rich and obviously better off
than you in the financial world who just discounted you because of their
status? Maybe even a boss who used to be
a co-worker who now seems to have forgotten what it was like when he/she was in
your position. Maybe you have been fortunate to befriend someone of higher
status than you who really did view you as a friend and treat you like an
equal. My husband and I have had friends
such as these. Who have made us feel
comfortable in their homes even though they had so much more financially than
us. And I need to do the same. Some people may view us as wealthy compared
to their income and I need to make sure they feel as welcomed as others have
welcomed me.
I
have to admit there are times I think that I am doing well with this but then I
have to think of the times that I have not done so well. I believe it has to do with being
comfortable. Being around those who are
more like us is a comfort zone. It is
easy to engage in a conversation and relate to them. Yet when you are around someone who you don’t
have much in common with, you may tend to shy away. It is not that we don’t care as much as it is
comfort. But, you know what? God did not call us to be comfortable, He has
called us to love one another. Once we
realize that God loves the poor and the needy there’s nothing else to do but to
love them too!
As
you seek Him today be sure to thank Him for not discounting you. Then, go out and do for others as Christ has
done for you.
Seeking
Him with all my heart,
Sheila
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