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When a parent is partial to one child over another, there is bound to be dysfunction, envy, and possibly hatred in a family. None of these are things that the Lord wants for His people. And this is why He sets a great example of being a just and fair Father - all who faithfully do as He teaches reap the rewards. He also shows love to sinners (Matthew 5:45). This is because He cares for everyone He created and yearns for them to experience His best.
The Lord has called His children to mimic His behavior. This is why we are told in Proverbs 28:21 - To show partiality is not good— yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread. God desires fairness and justice among His people. Christians should treat both the rich and the poor equally. The Bible spells this out in James 2:3-4 - If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Here, the scripture teaches Christians not to discriminate against poorer believers because doing so puts them in the position of judge and we must never usurp God's authority as Judge over all. After all, Matthew 7:1 states, Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
This instruction goes beyond the four corners of the Body of Christ (the Church) and sets an expectation on how believers should deal with all people. When we treat the wealthy better than the poor, for instance, we also ignore God's teaching in 1 Samuel 16:7 where He said "...The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” We cannot allow our eyes to dictate how we treat others. Just because someone looks or smells nicer does not mean they deserve better treatment. Fortunately, Christ Himself taught all believers to treat others as they would like to be treated (Matthew 7:12). This instruction is part of the Royal Law and no Christian can afford to ignore it.
Just as we shouldn’t mistreat the poor to benefit the rich, we should also avoid discriminating against the wealthy. Micah 6:8 - He has told you, mortal one, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? (NASB). The Lord expects His people to treat others justly and those 'others' include the rich. Jesus displayed this when He chose to go to the house of a wealthy tax collector in Luke 19. The rich man, Zacchaeus, was considered a sinner by his townspeople because of his occupation. Yet, his wealth and the public criticism didn't stop Jesus from spending time with the man.
By the end of the encounter, Zacchaeus was so transformed that he promised to give half of his wealth to the poor. He also committed to repay four times the amount to anyone he had cheated. Imagine if Christ had not had compassion and chosen to teach Zacchaeus about God's word. What if the Savior chose to only share God's wisdom with the poor? A man like Zacchaeus would not have experienced the salvation he needed.
We must learn from this to treat everyone well, showing compassion and kindness without partiality. Besides, we never know which of our encounters can transform a Zacchaeus. This may seem hard to do, but we can trust God to help us because He knows humans tend to make the mistake of being unjust and partial. As long as we recognize that partiality is a problem and commit to erasing that aspect of personality, the Holy Spirit will gradually transform us.
As for Christians in positions of influence, may we never take a bribe or a 'gift' that will cause us to favor one interest over that of another. I pray that we will instead apply justice and godly wisdom as contained in His word as we deal with others. That way, we will not violate the Lord's instruction by being partial. By His grace and guidance, we will never use the position He has mercifully placed us in to be petty or deal wickedly with any group or individual. We will not discriminate but rather remember that every person was made in God's image and that He is working on them just as we are being built for His purpose. The Lord will help us all, IJMN, Amen.
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Recently, someone complimented me for having well-behaved children. I must confess I was happy to hear it. Only a fellow parent will understand the sheer terror parenting can sometimes be. Parents (and I can only speak from a mom's perspective), constantly wonder whether they're doing things right. They always wonder whether they're setting their kid up for failure or success.
And the thing about parenting is there is no adequate way to prepare for the role. You won't know what you need to know until you get into parenting and realize all you don't know. All the training happens while in the position. And so when someone says, "You've got some good kids," all you can do is take a deep breath, thank God, and get back to being a vigilant parent who doesn't want the world's madness to infect your offspring.
The compliment got me thinking about my relationship with my heavenly Father. How do I behave and would God ever get complimented because of me?
The more I pondered this question, the more I realized I needed His help to reflect and represent Him better. See, my mother made it clear that my behavior could impact my family's reputation. She also warned that I had better not go out into the world and embarrass her or bring shame to the family name.
Although I was far from perfect, my mother's warning always rang in my ears. It kept me from doing certain things and steered me away from plenty of trouble. I'd often worry that my mother would have my hide if she heard I was around certain types of people or places.
It took a while but I now understand that I have to take the same approach as a child of the Lord God Almighty. I need to pay attention to what I say and do, where I go, and who I spend time with. All this so that at the very least, I won't cause others to speak about Him poorly. I also pray that I will cause at least one person to compliment Him for the way He's raising me to interact with people and situations.
I am not deluded to think that this will be easy. There have been too many times when I've tried to be a good reflection of the Lord only to look back and see huge mistakes. However, I can also look back and see how His grace always redeemed me and guided me to do a little better the next time. And with each new circumstance, I'd see how God was helping me to better represent Him and His kingdom.
I realize that these desires of mine are part of my journey as I walk the earth. I've also come to terms with the fact that even when I'm an old woman, there will still be much to learn. But since the Bible says "His mercies endure forever," I'll keep relying on that mercy and much more to get me through (Psalm 136).
The great thing is that neither you nor I have to rely on our strength or intelligence to please the Lord and bring Him praise. We need only cooperate with His Holy Spirit who is charged with transforming us for God's glory and purpose. Philippians 2:13 also states "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him" (NLT). Therefore, I know that God will always help us to be who we were created to be.
What amazing grace! In His mercy and patience, God has taken on the responsibility to build up His children so they get them to the finish line. And "...if we [really] walk in the Light [that is, live each and every day in conformity with the precepts of God], as He Himself is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another [He with us, and we with Him], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin [by erasing the stain of sin, keeping us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations]" (AMP).
By His grace, therefore, every child of God can cause their Heavenly Father to be complimented when their "good home training" is recognized. He is more than able to make this happen. All it requires is submission to what He has taught and is teaching us. And that isn't impossible because He has also provided the Holy Spirit to guide. When combined with His word, we will develop into the very ones who bring Him glory.
Someday, somewhere, someone will compliment Him on having a good child and that child will not just be me. By His grace and to His glory, that child will also be you, IJMN Amen.
To learn more, please read the following related posts:
Exploring the Role of the Five-Fold Ministry in the Christian Faith: How Do You Fit In? (The Five-fold Ministry 1)
Unveiling the Crucial Role of the Five-Fold Ministry: How Do You Contribute to the Body of Christ (The Five-fold Ministry 2)
Embracing the Five-Fold Ministry: Unlocking Personal Benefits of Serving God (The Five-fold Ministry 3)
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