By: Doug Beyer, Atherton Resident since 2011
Scripture:(James 2:3-4)
If you show more respect to the well-dressed man and say to him, “Have this best seat here,” but say to the poor man, “Stand over there, or sit here on the floor by my feet,” then you are guilty of creating distinctions among yourselves and of making judgments based on evil motives.
Questions for reflection and application:
- How will I treat different classes of people today?
- How will I honor both rich and poor people that I meet?
Thought for today:
Showing favoritism to the rich and powerful shows we have confused our sense of values. Jesus provides a better model. Withdrawing from the snobs of his day, Jesus socialized with outcasts (Cf. Mark 12:41-44). How then can believers in him glorify the vainglorious? They have no true glory of their own; Jesus has it all. He alone is the “Lord of Glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8). If we saw people the way Jesus sees them, perhaps we would be collecting autographs from the poor ticket-taker struggling to support her family instead of the rich movie star with his name on the marquee. Jesus noticed the blind man and the beggar. The Bible is rich with the tales of how the most unlikely heroes became the most important players in God’s story of redemption. Can you ever really tell from the outward station what God may be planning for His Kingdom? Perhaps you will be called to play an important role; and so perhaps, may that least likely one you see. As you meet people today give special attention to those whom the vain and glorious overlook.
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