Daily Devotional for Wednesday, March 6

The Enigma of Favoritism

“Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?” James 2:5, 6.

“There are no significant church members. Thus, there are no insignificant church members.” My uncle spoke these words to me as I sought him for counsel regarding a matter we were facing in our church. As a young man, I was feeling compelled to give favor to an individual whom I saw as an important figure in our church simply because of his wealth. I was not sure I was on the right side of the issue, but I was certain that my judgment was clouded with favoritism. I was dismissing the views of one church member because I perceived him to be insignificant. All the while, leaning toward the views of another because I perceived him as significant.

In our key verses today, we are reminded that we still battle with sinful impulses as Christians—even the sin of favoritism. If we are functioning in the flesh, we can wrongly favor certain individuals because of their social status, wealth or their perceived importance. So, James boldly challenges our flesh and reminds us that favoritism is a sinful act which can cause great harm in our churches.

Sadly, some church members may work to obtain favor among other members to accomplish an agenda within their church. This should be a red flag warning for us to stop in our tracks and check our hearts. We should never allow our flesh to participate in acts of favoritism within our churches nor should we succumb to such ploys.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY
Spiritual maturity will lead us to offer grace to everyone instead of playing favorites among God’s people.

Steven Ridings