You may have experienced a variety of emotions and thoughts when you stepped out of your comfort zone and into the practice of wearing the same set of clothes two days in a row. They could have ranged from interest in what people who have no other choice feel, frustration with yourself for never taking time to think about the matter in depth before, or embarrassment at the thought of someone noticing your repeated wardrobe.
James 2:3 begins: “Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in.” Most of us would tend to judge the two men based on their appearance, maybe without subconsciously. We may make assumptions about their jobs, their level of education, maybe their personalities and even what we deem their worth and contribution to society.
But if we backtrack we see that James warns us in the first verse: “My dear friends, don’t let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith.” (MSG) This can extend far beyond the judgment of material things like the clothes one wears, car they drive or house they live in.
This can extend to taking a stand against the majority when their ideas and actions blatantly defy the Christian faith. This is encouragement, not to cast judgment on those who don’t agree with us, but to stand in the face of those who fail to demonstrate the love of Christ.
This is also a personal challenge for us to remember not to show favoritism in our own lives, but to love everyone – the poor and the rich – all the same, the way Jesus loves us. Let’s not forget, we’re all sinners and we all need grace.
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