e martë, 26 qershor 2007

James 2:1-4

Passage: My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Journal: It is not surprising that James would follow up his concern for orphans and widows with a concern for the poor. However, his primary observation here is one of attitude. The attitude is one of showing partiality for extraneous reasons, which is weak and shallow. James recognizes that the children of God hold a precious and rich gift; that is, "faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory." Christ is the perfect example of impartiality in how he dealt and interacted with people. Believers misuse this gift of faith by accommodating that faith in hierarchal fashion. God does not judge us on our appearance, which is to our great relief, for we are all clothed in filthy rags in the presence of our pristine creator. Rather, God judges us on our inward beauty, a beauty that is imputed to those who believe through the righteousness of Christ. The sinful attitude of partiality is prevalent. Otherwise, our society would not go to such great lengths to sell "fine apparel" and other adornment. It entices us to "become judges with evil thoughts." The children of God must avoid the temptation of attaching to that which is attractive and lavish in this world, and instead be attracted by the beauty of "the Lord of glory."

Heard 'Round the House:
My back was hurting Saturday night, so I had Anna walk on it. She was doing her thing as I was flat on my belly, when this alarming warning was given --
Anna: I don't want to walk down too low, because I might step on your crotches.
Daddy: [Speechless, not even knowing she knew the term and how I possessed in the plural]
Anna: Do you call your new shoes crotches or crocs?
[My new "crocs" were laying next to us, about "bottom high."]
Daddy: That would be crocs.