Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
6 26 2024

Audio Version

What is favoritism?  What does being Poor in Spirit mean?. 

As we continue to take a deeper dive in the book of James chapter2: 1-7 He talks about NOT showing favoritism and treating everyone equally.  The fact is, we do judge by appearances.  The man in a 3 piece suit and someone dressed like they are homeless.  Favoritism or judging?  

First off someones affluence is not necessarily a sign of Gods favor anymore than times of trouble indicate that God loves or cares for you less.  

Just because Facebook seems to indicate that someone has more than you doesn’t speak to the truth that they don’t also have serious troubles facing them.  And God never promised the rest of us the same affluence if we accept him, but His promise is to be with you every day,
through every trial or hardship you face.

Pastor Mike Ash tied it back to the heart in his brief vignette on James
saying people typically make two mistakes.

  1. The outward appearance rarely tells you the truth of what is happening inside.   Some of us smile in church but had a huge disagreement/fight on the way to church.
  2. When we judge others, we break the golden rule by treating one differently or better than another. We are certainly not Loving our Neighbors Like Ourselves.
    VS 14 says, if we follow Jesus it must show. We must live it out…His way!

WE MUST ALLOW GODS WORD TO CHANGE US.

Do our thoughts and words reflect our hearts…not just on Sundays?

We live in a world that screams favoritism.  screams partiality and profiling our neighbors, as much as they say, we cant do that morally!

God calls showing favoritism and judging by appearances a sin in James 2:1 and 2:9  God never does that.  He is impartial, righteous and always true to His nature.

I know we never think about this but what areas in your life do you show favoritism?  We are so used to doing that we don’t even notice that we do.  For instance what do you show favoritism to?  Certain ideas and feelings, yearnings, fantasies, restaurants, children, friends, jobs, cars, houses, sports, siblings, coworkers.  How about religion or politics? Have I gotten your attention?  None of us are immune.  

It’s natural isn’t it?  We like this restaurant because it serves better food,  that person doesn’t line up with my belief morally, that boss or co-worker is a blight on society, why wouldn’t I choose to not associate with them?

How does a policeman not judge or profile certain people, in certain areas of town and not be careless with his life and others?  Isn’t favoritism another word for judging the outward appearance of others?  Or show our favoritism or favor to those who appear to line up with what we believe or agree with?  Where is that line when we live in a society of advertising that wants this toothpaste to be your favorite, or this medication or department store. Jesus says favoritism is a sin!  But it also isn’t a sin to like Colgate over Arm and Hammer toothpaste.

The other negative effects of favoritism are what?  Discord, division, unfair practices, it erodes trust, and hinders productivity, to name a few.

So what is Gods answer to this worldly magnet that seems to draw us all into the magnetic realm of favoritism and judging outwardly? In verses 5 and 6 he uses the words “poor” and “rich” but he’s not just talking about money but also the spirit. Matt 5:3 says “blessed are the poor in spirit”.  

What does that mean to you?  Very few had a correct interpretation about that.  

1. It means humble.  Recognizing one spiritual emptiness.  Far beyond physical poverty, it acknowledges our deepest need for God.  We need to pray intentionally to grow in this area of longing for God…embracing our dependence on God and not our own self serving interest and judgements.

2. Recognizing that everything good in us, in our desires, come from God.

3. It’s a spiritual posture or filter that God creates in us by reading his word so we might discern in the spirit realm what is happening beyond the outward appearance like the physical attractiveness of something or someone. To put it bluntly, are we not all beggars before God?  Do we deserve anything that would elevate our position to a level that God owes us?

4.  It’s daily prayer asking God to change how we think, how we automatically judge the right from wrong around us and use the wisdom he abundantly provides because we asked for it.  Thanking God and giving him glory for these insites and a heavenly mindset vs our typical self-sufficiency and judgmental attitude.  

It means putting God first in our thoughts and judgements of everything around us.  I pray you think about this for a while, it is a Paradym shift that only the Spirit can change in us. 

Lauren Daigle You Say