James 2:1-4
My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you won’t treat some people better than others. Suppose a rich person wearing fancy clothes and a gold ring comes to one of your meetings. And suppose a poor person dressed in worn-out clothes also comes. You must not give the best seat to the one in fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at the side or sit on the floor. That is the same as saying that some people are better than others, and you would be acting like a crooked judge.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Have you heard the urban legend (check http://www.snopes.com/travel/airline/obnoxious.asp) about the person who was on a flight and threw a fit because he/she was seated next to a person who was black/Muslim/insert-your-own-racial-or-ethnic-profile-here? The legend goes that the person complaining asked, “Do I have to sit next to this person?” The flight attendant replied, “You certainly do not,” then turned to the other passenger and said, “If you will kindly gather your things, we have a seat in First Class waiting for you.”
This probably never really happened… but it’s a great story… and a variation of something that most likely does happen a dozen times or more every day in any corner of the world. We humans are snobs… about wealth and money, race, religion, personal lifestyle choices, and more. We stare, we discriminate…we are rude and unkind. We listen to the devil when he tells us, “You are better than that person for XYZ reason(s).”
In truth, God loves ALL of us… equally! We don’t like to think about this, because then we have to admit that God loved madmen like Adolph Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and Osama bin Laden. We have to concede that God doesn’t love Republicans more than Democrats, blacks more than whites, or heterosexuals more than gay people. And we just do not want to go there… but we must!
The next time your inclination is to think better of yourself than the other guy – for any reason – stop and remind yourself of this scripture passage. Truly examine your faith and ask yourself how genuine your relationship with God really is. Because if you have faithfully committed yourself to Him and are “all in” a relationship with your Heavenly Father… if you honestly believe that Jesus died for your sins and those of anyone else who calls on Him to do so… if you really believe that we are all God’s creatures – His children who He loves equally… you cannot for one minute look down your nose at someone else.
Nobody ever said being a Christian was easy. Nobody ever fully prepared us for how strong the devil’s temptations would be… and a sense of arrogance and condescension are two of his favorite tools. He wants us to develop a viewpoint of superiority as Christians… because he knows this completely negates our witness and the very message of Jesus Christ. Don’t let him have that satisfaction!
Remember WHOSE you are... and that God loves all of us unconditionally. Approach others with Godly love in your heart… see them through His eyes… and operate in humility and obedience to His word. Lead by example. Let others see how well you treat all of God’s children. Let them be inspired to do the same because of your witness. You may occasionally miss the mark… but you’ll improve over time. Don’t you owe it to God to give this a try?
©2012 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment