Day 163: Are We Being A Christian Snob?
Read: James 2:1 - 13
Permit me if you will or even if you wont to ask you a very strange
sounding personal question - Are you a Christian snob? Now before you
turn off this page feeling as if I am wrongly insinuating something
negative against your character, before you snap answer that question
too sharply ask yourself, “Who, outside of your present circle of
friends, have you attempted to include in your life recently?” Almost
all of us (me too) walk around with a unpublished list in our minds
of desirable and undesirable people. Some prefer to be around educated
folks and look down at those who are not quite academic enough, some of
us with people of only certain races, ages, ethnic groups.
Most of us want to be around people just like we are, or want to be. But, how can we refuse to accept and associate with one whom God has received? (1) 'My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.', (5) 'Listen, my dear brothers: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to
be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those
who love Him?' How can we exclude from our lives, withhold our
friendship and our fellowship from someone God has welcomed into
fellowship with Himself? This is not a new problem, however, it is as
old as Christianity. James' rather blunt in your face writing has all too clearly brought this
problem to light.
First, James writes to us of a principle to remember 'my brothers'. That does not just mean only those in my inner circle of Christian brothers and for you
ladies out there, your inner circle of Christian sisters. James
emphasizes this in the following verses as he mentions both the rich
man with the gold ring and the poor man dressed in dirty clothes. There
is a whole range of humanity in between that deserve equal attention. James addresses the readers as “my brothers,” reminding us that the
problem he is about to discuss is a family concern. Whenever he uses
that term he is ready to point out something that needs to be changed in
their lives. Whom is it have you consciously or unconsciously excluded?
The issue is
“partiality.” The literal meaning of this word is “to receive one’s
face.” “Partiality” or as it is translated in some versions, “respecter
of persons” is mentioned several times in the New Testament. But in
every other case the subject of the verse is always God and it is
expressed negatively. “God does not show partiality.”(Acts 10:34) “God
is not a respecter of persons.” “God does not receive people by face.”
“God does not judge by externals, he judges the heart.” (1Samuel 16:7, 1
Pet. 1:17) The basis of Christian action and attitude from (8) is:
'Indeed, if you keep the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love
your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well.' That is just it is it not - how well are we all doing?
Let Us Pray:
God of My Heart, help me to see and to know people for who they are, on
both inside and outside of me. Help me to accept people as they are,
even when I wish them to be different. Help me to experience the
importance of acceptance: that people as they are hold many gifts, and
that if my eyes and heart are open I can learn from what any single
person can teach me. Help me to remember that to be in the state of
complete acceptance means that I can truly love my neighbor as myself. Amen
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Read: James 2:1 - 13
Permit me if you will or even if you wont to ask you a very strange sounding personal question - Are you a Christian snob? Now before you turn off this page feeling as if I am wrongly insinuating something negative against your character, before you snap answer that question too sharply ask yourself, “Who, outside of your present circle of friends, have you attempted to include in your life recently?” Almost all of us (me too) walk around with a unpublished list in our minds of desirable and undesirable people. Some prefer to be around educated folks and look down at those who are not quite academic enough, some of us with people of only certain races, ages, ethnic groups.
Most of us want to be around people just like we are, or want to be. But, how can we refuse to accept and associate with one whom God has received? (1) 'My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.', (5) 'Listen, my dear brothers: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him?' How can we exclude from our lives, withhold our friendship and our fellowship from someone God has welcomed into fellowship with Himself? This is not a new problem, however, it is as old as Christianity. James' rather blunt in your face writing has all too clearly brought this problem to light.
First, James writes to us of a principle to remember 'my brothers'. That does not just mean only those in my inner circle of Christian brothers and for you ladies out there, your inner circle of Christian sisters. James emphasizes this in the following verses as he mentions both the rich man with the gold ring and the poor man dressed in dirty clothes. There is a whole range of humanity in between that deserve equal attention. James addresses the readers as “my brothers,” reminding us that the problem he is about to discuss is a family concern. Whenever he uses that term he is ready to point out something that needs to be changed in their lives. Whom is it have you consciously or unconsciously excluded?
The issue is “partiality.” The literal meaning of this word is “to receive one’s face.” “Partiality” or as it is translated in some versions, “respecter of persons” is mentioned several times in the New Testament. But in every other case the subject of the verse is always God and it is expressed negatively. “God does not show partiality.”(Acts 10:34) “God is not a respecter of persons.” “God does not receive people by face.” “God does not judge by externals, he judges the heart.” (1Samuel 16:7, 1 Pet. 1:17) The basis of Christian action and attitude from (8) is: 'Indeed, if you keep the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well.' That is just it is it not - how well are we all doing?
Let Us Pray: God of My Heart, help me to see and to know people for who they are, on both inside and outside of me. Help me to accept people as they are, even when I wish them to be different. Help me to experience the importance of acceptance: that people as they are hold many gifts, and that if my eyes and heart are open I can learn from what any single person can teach me. Help me to remember that to be in the state of complete acceptance means that I can truly love my neighbor as myself. Amen
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