My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 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. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong? James 2:1-7
“We all regularly encounter favoritism. Sometimes we suffer because of it; sometimes we benefit from it. But it is only when we are the victims that we condemn it. It is easy to benefit from favoritism without even being aware of it. Favoritism manifests itself in various ways. For example someone may be given something they do not deserve simply because they are relatives of or come from the same village or the same ethnic group as the giver. Such nepotism is frequent in Africa. Unfortunately, it is also evident in the church, where people are sometimes given positions because they are recommended by an authority figure, a political official or even the leader of a denomination.
Favoritism is also happens when people cheat and receive something at someone else’s expense. For example, some patients get priority care in public hospitals because they are related to or know the doctor, while others who were there earlier must wait. This is favoritism because it is discrimination. The treatment that is being given to them is being withheld from those who are not associated with a prominent person, or who are simply poor. But everyone should be treated equally. James denounces discriminatiOn and reminds us that God makes no distinction between people but treats us all in the same way.”
Soro Soungalo (Côte d’Ivoire) in “Favoritism” in Africa Bible Commentary, Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006).
Happy Black Friday. We love to get poinsettias at Home Depot for $1 and give them to friends throughout the month to bring beauty and joy to their lives. It’s a deal anyone can get. We also do some Christmas shopping. We like the good deals we can get which help us make our budget go further.
But if we got a deal that others cannot access, we participate in favoritism. A good rule of thumb for everyday practice is to give and receive gifts with others but not give or receive anything if it will others feel slighted, taken advantage of, or overlooked.
I am packing for Africa today. At GTP we aim to serve underserved countries and regions. We will convene workers from across Francophone in Cameroon and from across English, Portuguese, and Spanish speaking Africa in Uganda. The goal is to train them to replicate trainings in their countries across the region.
I encourage you to include Africa in your giving this Christmas by making a gift to GTP today. Click here to give and you will help fuel this important work of training stewards to help churches and ministries strengthen accountability and grow generosity in remote and forgotten places.
Don’t just give to the things you care about this year-end. That’s favoritism. Give to the things God cares about too. Add some underserved stewards to your giving radar.