THURSDAY, April 3rd, 2008

James 2:1-9

1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

This passage makes it clear we are not to treat one person better or worse because of the money they have, or because of the way they dress, or anything like that. We must understand that God looks at man from the heart. That is how we should choose our friends. If we choose people who have a pure heart, then we become more like God, because God does not choose the rich, for their money, God chooses the poor. I was lost and poor in sin, but Jesus came and rescued me! This passage ends by making it clear that we are not to repspect certain people over the rest, but we should honor all man for the glory of God. If you pick and choose to respect certain people with "partiality" then you sin. Lets love and respect all!