READ: James 2:1 NLT
'My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favour some people over others?'
Do you have favourites? Or do you look at other people in the same way whatever their age, education, wealth, beauty, race, religion and irrespective of whether you know them or not? The first question suddenly got more difficult didn’t it? We would all be keen to claim that we don’t have favourites but James points out to his readers that favouritism very easily creeps into our thinking.
James describes a situation that could happen in a local church. An obviously wealthy person comes to a service and is welcomed generously and given a good seat. He is followed by a scruffy man whose poverty is plain for all to see who is told rudely to sit down or find a place on the floor. James proclaims boldly that this should not happen.
The main reason why favouritism should not happen is that God doesn’t do it. God welcomes everyone whoever they are, and we are called to do the same. On the face it this sounds very reasonable and straightforward but it is in fact very difficult to do because we all have preferences and we all get on with some people better than others.
I always feel anxious when I go to a church where everyone looks more or less the same: similar age, education, wealth, ethnicity and outlook. I can understand how it happens, but it hardly suggests that we have learnt how to welcome people in the same way as God. I am not for a moment suggesting that it is easy not to show favouritism. But the Bible makes it plain that favouritism is totally unacceptable to God and that the church should be a place which throws open its arms to every kind of person.
QUESTION: What would you do if you saw favouritism taking place in your church?
PRAYER: Lord forgive me if I have allowed favouritism to creep into my thinking. Help me to welcome everyone in the way that you do. Amen.

Released on 4 Nov 2020