James: Faith in ActionSample

Seeing the World Differently

Do you know the expression "never judge a book by its cover?" It can be easy to give special attention to people who look a certain way or seem to "have it all." Have you ever admired someone because they had on-trend clothes or the latest games?

On the flip side, it’s often the people who have the least that get treated badly. Have you ever seen someone at church or school who was made fun of because of how they look or because their family couldn’t afford to buy cool stuff or nice clothes?

In today’s passage, God tells us we shouldn’t judge someone by how they look or what they have, but instead treat everyone equally and with love. The Bible tells us that those who look poor by the standards of the world are actually rich if they have faith in Jesus. They have something more valuable than all the money or clothes or games in the world: they have a place as part of God’s family now and the promise of eternal life for the future. God is the one who judges, not us. Our job is to show love to others as He showed it to us.

Questions:

1. Our society expects that people who are wealthier get treated better by others. How is this different to what God wants? Check out verses 2-3 and 5.
2. Look at verse 8. Instead of showing favoritism, how should we treat others?
3. Have a think about the different people you know. Is there someone in your life you should treat with more love?

Prayer:

Dear God, thank you that You loved me by sending Jesus to save me from my sin. Please help me to love everyone around me, too. I’m sorry for the times that I have treated others badly because of what they look like or what they do or don't have. Please help me to be kind to them instead. Amen.