"My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"
James 2:1-4
It is very interesting how easy it is to be partial, I mean to honestly care about something over another and be biased toward someone over another with or without noticing that we do it. I don't mean to speak straight-forward out of ignorance, but I mean, the human psyche is built to be satisfied and based on our specific desires as individuals, we become very biased to the things that satisfy our 'needs.' This is the cause enmity, where one's nature conflicts with another, causing a dark void between the two that is extreme hatred and disgust for one another. This will cause a bias, just as it is the other way around, where deep intimacy and affection is cultivated through mutual and complimentary desires or personalities. It is in the depths of our beings that we are connected, tracing back to the very nature of individuality as God has created us. Partiality is when we allow the desires of the flesh to become the common factors and compliments that create intimacy.
Are we truly desiring an intimacy without mixture? Do we desire to know Christ in His fullness, found in each individual as we interact with them? Are we interacting with humans? Are we digging the depths of each heart for the beauty of Christ, implanted in each created soul? Do we seek to bring the soul to life, fanning the glory of God into flame? It is no small thing to be a distraction to people, causing them to look at you over His person and glory. The fruit of Christ is the personality of Christ. Joyful, loving, gentle, kind, etc. are the characteristics of the Christian character. Our personality is one of joy, love and compassion. We are not to be careless and yet, so often, we are careless of this world, loving of ourselves, seeking our own fleshly pleasure, which ends in missing the world and excluding the lost. We must be impartial in our love for people. We must set to who we are and what we are called to. I don't believe it's everyone's responsibility to be an evangelist, but it is everyone's responsibility to evangelize. We aren't all teachers, but we all are called to teach. Your calling is a ministerial priority, but you are called to facilitate and create growth in all and that is love.
'Love never fails.' Yes and amen, this is fact. 'Love covers a multitude of sin.' Yes, this is fact as well and we must embrace it. We are called to love all without partiality. If we love Jesus, we will not fail to endure. If we love people, we will not fail to bring them to Christ. If we love, we will not fail to be truly spiritual and experience the fullness of Christ in all things. What we love, we seek and what we seek, we find, save for that which is kept by His grace. He has promised that when we seek Him, we will find Him. What stops us? Is it possible that we don't love God? No, I doubt this. I don't believe we love Him as much as we say we do. I don't think we believe we can love people the way Christ or the Apostles did and it shows in the weakness of our spiritual lives. How we spend much time on ourselves, thinking and worrying over our own lives.
Christ is working all things together for His glory, so we must count ourselves as nothing, trusting Him and reaching out, know that He who is faithful is holding us in His grace. We cannot show partiality to ourselves, as though we had life apart from Christ, who gave all for the glory of God. We must be nothing, where He reigns and we are found in the fullness of Him who will spend us for His glory and pleasure. Let us be intimate with all, that we would be intimate with Christ, finding His glory in all.
Are we truly desiring an intimacy without mixture? Do we desire to know Christ in His fullness, found in each individual as we interact with them? Are we interacting with humans? Are we digging the depths of each heart for the beauty of Christ, implanted in each created soul? Do we seek to bring the soul to life, fanning the glory of God into flame? It is no small thing to be a distraction to people, causing them to look at you over His person and glory. The fruit of Christ is the personality of Christ. Joyful, loving, gentle, kind, etc. are the characteristics of the Christian character. Our personality is one of joy, love and compassion. We are not to be careless and yet, so often, we are careless of this world, loving of ourselves, seeking our own fleshly pleasure, which ends in missing the world and excluding the lost. We must be impartial in our love for people. We must set to who we are and what we are called to. I don't believe it's everyone's responsibility to be an evangelist, but it is everyone's responsibility to evangelize. We aren't all teachers, but we all are called to teach. Your calling is a ministerial priority, but you are called to facilitate and create growth in all and that is love.
'Love never fails.' Yes and amen, this is fact. 'Love covers a multitude of sin.' Yes, this is fact as well and we must embrace it. We are called to love all without partiality. If we love Jesus, we will not fail to endure. If we love people, we will not fail to bring them to Christ. If we love, we will not fail to be truly spiritual and experience the fullness of Christ in all things. What we love, we seek and what we seek, we find, save for that which is kept by His grace. He has promised that when we seek Him, we will find Him. What stops us? Is it possible that we don't love God? No, I doubt this. I don't believe we love Him as much as we say we do. I don't think we believe we can love people the way Christ or the Apostles did and it shows in the weakness of our spiritual lives. How we spend much time on ourselves, thinking and worrying over our own lives.
Christ is working all things together for His glory, so we must count ourselves as nothing, trusting Him and reaching out, know that He who is faithful is holding us in His grace. We cannot show partiality to ourselves, as though we had life apart from Christ, who gave all for the glory of God. We must be nothing, where He reigns and we are found in the fullness of Him who will spend us for His glory and pleasure. Let us be intimate with all, that we would be intimate with Christ, finding His glory in all.
