May 5
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LET GO OF PREJUDICE
My brothers and sisters, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in bright clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters: did God not choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? 7 Do they not blaspheme the good name by which you have been called? – James 2:1-7
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In this letter of James, he cautions all believers to watch that they do not have discrimination over people, whether rich or poor. In verse one, he warns them that they should not show any personal favoritism to anyone. The apostle Paul reiterates the warning that James says in verse one when he said in his letter to the Romans in chapter 2 verse 11. It states that God has no favoritism. Therefore, God expects his own people not to show any biases as well.
In verses 2-4, James gives an illustration to further prove his point about the importance of fair treatment to all. It is a picture of a rich man entering the assembly in contrast with a poor man in dirty clothes. The worldly person would automatically favor the one who dresses elegantly and exudes wealth against someone who looks filthy and poor. It is the world system that propagates these biases in our society. We are always aiming at power, control, wealth and anything that doesn’t exhibit such are looked down upon.
James reminded the believers in verse 5 that God didn’t choose the wealthy to be rich in faith. Instead, he left his kingdom’s legacy to the poor. Why did Jesus not come in this world rich? Why did He choose to come from a poor family? Is it not to mock the rich? In 2 Corinthians 8:9, Paul answers this question. He says that “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
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REFLECTION
• What do you think is the source of biases or unfair preferences over others?