This Over That?

Opening Prayer: High and Mighty Father, we bow down before You as humble servants, pleading for Your mercy. So many times through-out the day, we fall short of Your mighty being. It is only by Your constant grace that we can be assured of a better tomorrow. With sincerity, we ask for Your forgiveness, and we thank You in advance for the blessings You have in store for us. It is with much assurance that we know You will always come through for us. Your timing is perfect, and Your path is clear. As we harmonize our words and actions with You, Father, we pray it will only be to Your glory and honor. Let us know what You desire of us so that we can do nothing that's against Your will. As Jesus said, let it not our will, but Your will be done. In Christ's mighty name I pray, AMEN.

"but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by law as transgressors." James 2:9 (NKJ)
"If you treat one person as being more important than another, you are sinning" James 2:9 (NCV)

Have you ever been caught in this sin? The dentist is far superior to the plumber because his wages are higher, he has a greater degree, and his job does not require him to wallow in human wastes. The college professor surpasses the pre-school teacher because she does not have to wipe a little kids nose for a living. The lawyer is more important than the stay-at-home mother because he stands in front of a crowd of people and can persuade them to believe as he believes. God must favor those higher ranked individuals more, or else he would not have had them raise higher in society. Therefore, we should all stick our noses up while we pass the plumber, pre-school teacher, and stay-at-home mom, while bowing down before the dentist, professor, and lawyer.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, and whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." We all know this quote, the famous John 3:16. Every baseball game has that Christian individual or group holding the sign with John 3:16 written on it. No, it does not say "And God said, go Sox", as portrayed by the well known Family Guy. It clearly states that God's Son, Christ, died for whoever believes in Him. Hmm, that's strange...I don't see anywhere in there that says He came to die for all who believe in Him AND make an annual salary that has six figures or more.

So, if Christ died for everyone, what does that mean? It means, as Christians, we should treat every individual the same as any other. Christ did not go to the Kings and demand to be treated as royalty and only be surrounded by such people. When He came, leaving the high Kingdom of Heaven, He took role amongst the peasants. With a snap of His fingers, He could have been King of earthly Kings, in addition to already existing rank of King of the Heavens. But did He? No, He did not. He walked with the commoners, healing the weak.

Did you know that, in Mark 10:23, Jesus even says to His disciples "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God"? We must be willing to give up all our earthly treasures to follow Jesus, like Paul had to do. Isn't it much easier to sacrifice everything if you already have little? As humans, we become attached to our material goods, and when we are asked to give them up, even for our greater good, it is difficult. In Mark 10:17-22, a rich man came up to Him with much love in his heart, asking what more he must do to enter the kingdom. All the commandments were followed by this man, for he truly loved the Lord. But Jesus requested he get rid of all his wealth and follow Him. This, the rich young man, could not do, for he "had great possessions". With sorrow, the man walked away, forfeiting his eternal salvation in order to keep his earthly wealth.

Back to the original topic, we must learn to be like Christ in every way. This does include the art of not judging. Christ loves us all, no matter our professions. The dentist, professor, and lawyer are all important people, there's no doubt about that. But imagine a world without a plumber to fix our pipes, a pre-school teacher to begin our learning, and a stay-at-home mother to raise well rounded children. If there was no one to take those more humble jobs, they wouldn't get done and society would not be able to exist. "You should admire people who faithfully fulfill God's mission for them by carefully doing nonglamorous tasks"(Nature in a Nutshell; Daily Devotions for Juniors, pg 275).

Closing Prayer: Oh Father, how grateful we are. The knowledge of knowing Christ loves us all, despite our salary, is such a reassuring fact. As we disperse into the coming week, help us to thank all who do the less glamorous jobs of society, knowing that we could not thrive without their humble doings. It is only by Your grace that we can push aside our human instinct to look down upon these servants of Yours, believing ourselves to be gods compared to them. It is only by Your doings that we can be lead to the career that You aim for us to follow, so we pray You guide us to those paths. Thank you for Your continuous mercy; we are unworthy of Your blessings. In Christ's name we pray, AMEN.

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