Forgiveness With Thanksgiving

As indicated, we are looking at just a few Bible verses which help to seal the severity of showing favouritism.

We go straightway to James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is speaking directly to our Lord’s Church, the Body of Believers. He is not addressing his words to the world, but to you and me. My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favouritism. James 2: 1.  Further on, he makes it quite clear what our status will be if we disobey and show favouritism. But if you show favouritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. James 2: 9. 

Will we heed? Do we honestly believe that showing favouritism is a sin in the eyes of Father God? Proverbs 28: 21a tells us this outright. To show partiality is not good. Make no mistake! This is a grave sin in God’s eyes, but alas! The clever deceiver lets us feel that such behaviour, in our simple everyday dealings with each other, is no big thing. In fact, we do not ever see our actions, our words and our thoughts even, as being partial.  Nonetheless, God sees it all and is always totally against such behaviour.

This picture of truth, as spoken by God’s prophet, Malachi, must never be silenced or dismissed in us. True, Malachi has been told this word to give to God’s priests, but note, you and I are the Lord’s priests, His priesthood. We are always reminded of this fact in 1 Peter 2: 9. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Indeed we, the Church, you and I, are the Lord’s priests. This warning is for us.  

For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi, says the LORD Almighty. So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of law. Malachi 2: 7 – 9. 

Again I say! Do not be fooled about partialism or favouritism and God.

Father, Holy Divine Spirit, Jesus my Saviour, make me surrendered to You please. O Lord, take my life and change me, as You changed Peter, so that I too can be Your perfect handiwork. O Holy God, forgive me please. Lord, save me from calling people unclean and impure, based on my understanding, my ideas, my beliefs and my upbringing, which are all based on human interpretations and wisdom. Show me. O Divine Holy Spirit, that I am never ever, in thought, word or deed, to think of, and interact with people, based on my human wisdom. 

Expose me Lord and show me this area of need in me please.  Amen!

Now let’s reason through this path. It is not that the Lord God will not help these people who are all ‘wrong’ in our eyes, or talk with them.  It is not that He will not feed them or clothe them. No! The problem is that He will not ‘die’ for them. I say to myself that You will not be embarrassed, revealed or damned by them. But look at it. All these responses come from the thoughts of the world, for those are the ways of the world. The world lets me know that it is okay to be partial in my dealings with certain others who are living 'wrong' lives. But we are so very deceived. Alas! How we forget so soon!  But listen! Is not Jesus asking us, “Have you forgotten Me?”

The perfect testimony of My giving up all, for you a ‘wrong’ one, the perfect testimony  that I, your Lord and Saviour, drew close to you to be one with you, came from worldly, earthly thinking. The world saw My closeness to you, My friendship with you, and called Me by your name. The world and others would never have called Me glutton and wine bibber, after a one-stand meeting with you. The world would never call Me your name of sinner, if I only had a momentary, casual, surface, non-committal relationship with you. No! The world called Me such because of My very close and deep relationship with you.

The Lord still sends Gentiles to look for you, to find you in places where they would never find you, had the Lord not told them, guided them and sent them. In addition, the Lord will not send these persons to you, unless He Himself has prepared you. Go in peace, be not afraid, and do not hesitate. Go, for the work the Lord requires is waiting to be done.

O Holy Lord, right now, I accept. Amen!