Good To Know: Good Advice For A Better LifeSample

We all play favorites; it’s human nature. We tend to like people who are the most like us. For the most part, we do it innocently. But what happens if we cross the line from naturally favoring some people and actually start believing that certain people have more value than others? 

James gives the example of giving a rich man the best seat in the house while giving the poor man the worst. If you apply the words of James to your own life, who is the “poor” man to you? Is he the guy at work you ignore because he doesn’t fit in? Is she the mom you secretly judge because she parents differently than you?

If you dig a little deeper, maybe the poor man is the person whose political views differ from yours. She’s the neighbor you won’t invite into your home because of her sexual orientation. He’s part of the people group that has become the punch line of your jokes. The harsh reality is that favoritism in one of its ugliest forms is discrimination.

Proverbs teaches that, no matter our differences, we all have something in common: we are all made by God. In showing favoritism, we devalue people that were created by God and that are deeply loved by Him. Instead, James reminds us of what Jesus taught: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We don’t get to pick and choose who our neighbor is, so what if we took the words of James seriously and allowed the royal law of love to rule in our hearts?

Julie Massad

Questions for Reflection:

• Can you identify evidence of favoritism in your own heart? Where does it stem from? What can you begin to do to eradicate it?

• Who is symbolic of the biblical “poor” man in your life? What can you do this week to interact with him or her as a creation of God?