James 2:4 NLT “doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motive?”
This verse is specifically about how you treat a wealthy person versus a poor person in church, but it expands into so many other places also.
Discrimination and judgement come from a hardened heart most of the time.
James 5:11 ESV “The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.”
Yes, there is a need for discernment and to help people see the speck that is in their eye once you have taken the log out of your own eye (Matthew 7:5) but this is not where our first focus should go. It is easier to look at what others are doing wrong rather than to look at and examine yourself. Choosing to judge others is often a way to avoid looking at our own issues and it hardens the heart.
In the case of James 2:4 when preferential treatment is given to someone because of their income level you are actually telling yourself that you are only acceptable if you are wealthy. You are saying to yourself that your value comes from your wealth rather than from Me.
By judging and giving preferential treatment to someone else you actually judge yourself because you make it clear what you think your own value is.
Love yourself though and receive the blessings I have for you whether they are small or great. Do not limit yourself to very little because it is pious and do not expect greater amounts than I have chosen for you. Trust Me that I know what is best for you and receive the blessings that I have chosen for you. Wealth and income can become an idol. It can become something undesirable when it becomes something other than a blessing from above to be used and share with others.
James 5:3 NLT “Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire.”
This is not true of all gold and silver and it is not true of all wealth. If you read further in chapter 5 you will see that the wealth that eats away the flesh is when you hoard or cheat others in order to accumulate wealth. This is a dangerous thing to do because you undervalue My creations and you make a statement that money is more important than people.
Please, if you are in a position of management or authority know this…the money is not as important as the people. You can be successful, and you can take good care of the people I entrust to you. They go hand in hand and are not in opposition to one another. But most of all remember that the way you treat others is truly the way you are treating yourself. If you are generous with others, then your heart is generous toward yourself. If you are stingy with others then your heart is stingy toward yourself and to Me.
Receive My love deeply into your heart, soul, mind, and strength and your heart will immediately be softened and you will know exactly what I am saying to you.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You that You love me no matter whether I am wealthy, poor, or anything in between…You simply want to love me and be loved by me. I praise You Lord because you are good and you accept me as I am. Please help me accept myself as I am also and to accept the level of wealth you have chosen for me and to be content in all that I do. Thank you Lord.
I believe this is a message to us from God, written from His perspective – Sherri
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