No Favorites | Daily Devotional 1611

You're listening to the My Morning Devotional Podcast, episode 1611. Today's Devo is called No Favorites.

Hey there, we're the Alestees, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to-do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five-minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional Podcast.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the My Morning Devo. This is Stephanie Muina, and I am so excited to go through this week of devotionals with you because we are going to be reading James 2. Now, heads up, I'm very pregnant. I am so pregnant. I might be getting induced tomorrow to have my baby, which is a miracle from above. Because I'm very much done with being pregnant. So today, what better way to celebrate having a baby than making some devos? Okay? And talking about the Bible. And I have to let you know, if it sounds like I'm reading my devotional, it's because I am. Because I've got some serious pregnancy brain, and the only way to keep up with my notes is to read them, verbatim. So follow along with me. I'm so excited to get into James. I've been reading James for like two months now, over and over and over again. I know it's crazy, it's only five chapters, but I love it. And something that I want to share with you before we start reading James is the background. Just so you know, this was written from James to the Christians in the region of Judea very shortly after Jesus died. So that means there was a lot of tension. Jesus just showed up to the scene. He started naming out all the Pharisees, he started naming out all the Jews, saying that they were unfair, and then he dies. And then he resurrects three days later. And it's pretty mysterious what happened. And then he leaves and the church in Jerusalem, the church across all of Judea is very, very poor. Like they do not have money, they don't have resources. So James is here to address some of the problems that are produced from a high-tense culture, high-tense time period, and also a culture of laborers, people that don't make a lot of money, and people that are just trying to follow Jesus' ways. So James is addressing a very tense, high pressure group of people. So when he talks about riches, when he talks about the rich and the poor, he is talking about a very, very strong and big divide in this particular culture. And I love what he addresses. So let's dive into it. James 2, 1. My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. I love this. He continues to explain how there's a man wearing a gold ring in fine clothes, and they give him the best seats in the temple, in the church. And then there's another man who is poor in filthy old clothes, and they just kind of toss him aside. So this is the theme I want to address today. If Jesus did not determine someone else's value by their status, then neither should we. We all have people that we're naturally drawn toward. That's very normal. People who are fun to be around, people who are successful, people who look like us, think like us, talk like us, have something to offer us. And then there are people that we might naturally overlook. And James 2 challenges us with very simple question. Do you treat people differently based on what you think they can do for you? I'm not saying that's what you do. I'm not saying that's what I do. I'm just asking the question. Do we treat people a little differently if they have a really stylish outfit on? Do we treat people differently if they're a really good songwriter singer? Do we treat people differently if we know they have a good job and make a lot of money? Do we treat people differently if they have a boat? I can do that. I tend to do that. If you have a boat, I'm going to treat you differently because I want to go on your boat. But this is a normal thing that we can tend to do. I'm joking, by the way. If you don't have a boat, I love you as much as somebody who does have a boat. And James gives the example of two people walking into a gathering. One is dressed beautifully and obviously they're wealthy. The other is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. The wealthy person gets the best seat and the poor person gets pushed aside. And James basically says this should not happen among God's people. This is what I love about Jesus. He constantly noticed and continues to notice the people everyone else overlooks. He notices the sick, he notices the poor. And if we're going to become more like Jesus, we have to learn to do the same. Because sometimes favoritism, it's not obviously cruel. It's not like you're actively choosing to favorite those. Sometimes it's simply who we just don't notice. Who did you walk past? Who do you never start a conversation with? Who do you treat differently because they are influ they are not influential? Who do you treat differently because they aren't influential, impressive, or useful to you? The kingdom of God teaches us that someone's value is not determined by their followers, their status, their income, their style, their appearance, their title, or their connections. The kingdom of God teaches us that their value and everybody's value, your value, comes from the fact that God created them. That God created you. And Jesus died for all of us. That alone is where I get my source. That alone is where I get my value. Listen, I love a good road makeup set. I love a good watch. I love a good pair of shoes that everybody else has. And it's fun to look trendy. It's fun to be in the looks. At the end of the day, though, that's not where my value comes from. I love to know that my income is strong. I love to know that I'm with the cool people, that I'm with the fun people, that I'm with the bold, interesting people. But you know, I would still have the same value if I didn't have any of those things. You would still be the exact same person if you didn't have the right makeup, if you didn't have that car, if you didn't have that job. Because your value isn't determined by those material things. Your value is determined by Jesus and Jesus alone. And he never changes. He never goes out of style. His value is through the roof. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He's priceless. So today, don't show favoritism. Don't go and prefer somebody else because of a style. And definitely don't go prefer somebody because they could be a benefit to you. If you are a child of God, you're a benefit to everybody else. If you find your value in Jesus and Jesus alone, and you've built your identity and confidence off that, I promise you, you are a value to everybody else. If you can walk into a room and be happy despite the hardships that you face in your life, and bring joy into that room and bring compliments into that room, you are a value to everyone else because you're not representing the value of materials. You are representing the value of Jesus Christ, which is priceless, which is never-ending, which is the truth and the whole truth, which is life, which is freedom, which is abundance of joy. If you believe that you are a daughter and a son of Jesus Christ, you are the greatest value to everybody else. And if you can walk into a room and see the person that no one else notices, go and pour that value into them. Go and pour that joy and freedom into them. And allow the Holy Spirit to guide you and reveal to you the people that nobody else notices. It could be that widow at the church on Sunday morning. It could be the really quiet person in the coffee shop that just looks a little down whenever you're there. It could be that quiet girl at youth group, that quiet kid at school. Whatever you do, intentionally notice someone you might normally overlook. Start the conversation, learn their name, include them, encourage them, become the kind of person who makes people feel valuable because God says they are valuable. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you that you pour that value into us first. Our prayer today is this: help us see people the way you see them. And give us the words to speak, give us the boldness to act and approach and to pour value into them, to uplift them, to bring them that joy that they need, God. Teach me to notice the overlooked and honor every person you put in front of me. Help me represent Jesus everywhere that I go. And in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

So there you have it, your five minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today. We pray these devotionals empower you to take on your day. If you've found value in this devotional, share it with a friend, leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow, we pray that your latte is strong, but your love for Jesus is stronger.