James 2:1-7

My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? 
Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?

This passage points to the heart of a believer being right with God and mature in Him. Remember this immature people talk about their faith so people hear it, but that is not enough. Remember, those who believe in Jesus are called to walk out their faith like Jesus did on earth. Mature people live out their faith for others to see, hear, and experience it! The way one treats others indicates what they truly believe in their heart!

Think about people in your workplace or you meet at the coffee shop. How do you interact with them? Do you judge them before they speak by how they look? Do you strike up a conversation? Do you avoid eye contact because of assumptions you have? If we are to be Christ in our communities, we need to approach people with compassion and love.

When I was a life skills educator for teenage mothers, I got asked one day by one of the teens, “why are you different?”

My response was, “What do you mean by different.”

She responded, “You always look at us in the eyes which shows us you care and have confidence in us as a person. Also, you empower us to be better not matter how little or big of a step we can take. It is like you see that we can be like you. While others just assume the worst in us because we are pregnant or have a baby. You are compassionate and loving even when we are yelling and disregarding your authority. You are firm but caring at the same time. Your care and compassion make us not want to disappoint you.”

My response, “Well, I am honored and blessed that you see that in my actions. I try to live out what I believe. I believe we are to love others for who they are and be compassionate for where someone is at in the journey of life. We should try not assume something just by the way one acts, dresses, or looks.”

That conversation reminds me of what James’ theme of love in action. We should be do, and say what we believe. Others should notice our actions without us telling them about them. In this passage, James talks about not showing favoritism. When I brought the teenage mothers to church, I witnessed many times people avoiding the girls or all the judgmental glances. Thankfully the girls felt welcomed and loved by some because that changed the trajectory of some of those teen mom’s lives forever! One interaction with someone could change their lives forever!

The church should be a place of welcoming and love. When we first came to know Christ, we were not perfect so why do we expect that from others. The church should be a place of compassion not judgmental glances and favoritism. At the beginning of this passage that favoritism should be replaced with compassion for human beings. No one should be treated differently based on economic status, gender, sins, or race! We have the greatest gift to share with others and if we show favoritism or hate first, we will not get the chance to share the gift of love from Christ! We should desire to be do and say love to share the gift of acceptance and love that was given to us through Christ!

Think about your church, what would happen if a teenager showed up to your church either pregnant or with a child? Would they be welcomed in with love and compassion or would they be avoided and discounted? I want to challenge you to be, do, and say love and care through your compassionate actions!

Prayer:
Lord, may we have your eyes to see people as a child of God. May we have your love in our hearts to give love to others. May we have your spirit to be able to see people through your eyes in order to love them where they are at! We are called to be love and show love to God’s children, not just some of God’s children! Give us the strength and the confidence to love others where they are at! AMEN!