Spend time in prayer and silence with God, asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but you say to the poor man, “you stand there” or “Sit on the floor at my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers: has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised to those who love Him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of Him to who you belong? If you really keep the royal law found in scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
– James 2:1-10-12-13
Devotion
Here James instructs believers how to treat people in the different strata of society. What James is telling us here is not to profess faith in Christ and at the same time be a spiritual snob. All believers are brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. If we are living by the Spirit of God, we are not going to show favoritism in our fellowship. There is a brotherhood within the body of believers, and Jesus is the common denominator. Friendship and fellowship are the legal tender among believers. When we show favoritism, are we not living according to the great commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself?”
The Big Question
Do you treat people differently based on their race, economic status, appearance, gender and/or religious affiliation? Are you a spiritual snob? Do you see believers and unbelievers through the eyes of Jesus? Have you ever been discriminated against? If so, how did it make you feel?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence, reflecting on what God revealed to you today.