Favortism

We have now begun our second week in our look into the book of James. This week, we look at verses that, on the surface, seem harsh; but in reality help us see an alternative way of living and thinking so we can truly live in freedom: freedom to love, freedom to serve, freedom to share God’s grace.

James 2:1-4 CEB “My brothers and sisters, when you show favoritism you deny the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has been resurrected in glory. Imagine two people coming into your meeting. One has a gold ring and fine clothes, while the other is poor, dressed in filthy rags. Then suppose that you were to take special notice of the one wearing fine clothes, saying, “Here’s an excellent place. Sit here.” But to the poor person you say, “Stand over there”; or, “Here, sit at my feet.” Wouldn’t you have shown favoritism among yourselves and become evil-minded judges? 

Our devotional time this week begins with favoritism. Who would you consider to be a favorite person to you? Who are your favorite people? If we look at it closely, our favorite people really fall into three categories: people who are just like us, people we aspire to be like/imitate, people who can do stuff for us. I believe it is okay to be drawn to people, especially when they help us draw closer to Christ.

We have favorite places to eat, favorite destinations, favorite times of year, favorite Bible verses. Since we have favorites, this also means that we have least favorite things or people we encounter. James warns us not to treat people better than others. Why should we not have “favorite” people or types of people?

I remember when I was younger, I had a desire to want to be part of some groups. But for some reason, I did not feel like I was part of the group. I wanted to bad to be part of their inner circle because I thought it would help be be a cooler and more interesting person. I was looking for favor from people and being drawn to those who I thought would have the best influence over my life and help me become a happier person by becoming more popular.

The flip side of being someone’s favorite is that, to some people, we are their least favorite. This does not feel good emotionally, and we can place our faith in people which means we forget who we are in Christ.

Instead of looking for qualities or certain personalities that we would want; what would it look like to be around the kind of people that God is calling us to? This means we’ll hang out with and be present (physically, mentally, emotionally) with those whom Jesus would. We’ll help people see that God created them and looks at them as a favorite. We get to extend God’s grace to all people we encounter.

Our challenge today is to talk with another person we may not consider as a favorite and help them see God’s grace in them.

Lord, you have created us and chosen us. Help us to be the people to shine with you and help others experience your love and grace. Amen.