WEEK THREE: IT’S ABOUT THEM

Having recently spent a fair amount of time in an airport or on an airplane, I couldn’t help but notice the preference or perceived favoritism that seems to be given to certain customers. It begins at the security check point. If you are TSA Pre-check or Clear, you have a special line to go through that speeds up the process of getting checked in for your flight. You receive special privileges that those who are not in this line don’t get. Then once inside and you are getting ready to board, they allow those who fly more frequently or are flying in the first-class section to get on the plane first, and if you are in boarding group five or six you may have to check your carry-on bag because there is no longer room for it in the overhead bins. Not to mention by the time those groups board, they are already serving first class passengers complimentary drinks…and the list goes on.

Now we know that all those perks come at a cost. The passengers have paid for and gone through a screening process to receive that preferential treatment. First-class tickets are much more expensive than other tickets, so we understand the difference. But what about when that kind of preferential treatment seeps into regular life, or worse, into the Church? Do you find yourself gravitating toward certain kinds of people, or away from another type?

Let’s be honest: we all like it when we are on the receiving end of preferential treatment, and we dislike it when someone else gets it over us. No one wants to be left out or pushed away. However, do we intentionally look for those among us who are? Do we go out of our way to make sure everyone is treated equally? Do we practice a “welcome home” attitude even to those who don’t look like us, act like us, or smell like us?

Everyone comes into the church on an equal plane. We are all people in need of a Savior and no matter how long we have been in church, we still came in broken and messed up. God doesn’t see us on differing levels of acceptance. He sees us as people that he deeply loves and cares about, and who he wants to have a relationship with no matter how we look or what our social status is. We need to get that same perspective.

When someone comes into our church, how do we see and treat them? Do we immediately judge them based on what we can see? Do we ostracize them because they don’t look like we think they should, or do we bring them in and welcome them because they look the right way? James warns us, “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.” Let’s examine ourselves, our motives, and our practices. Ask yourself, do I treat certain people differently based on what I see? Challenge your assumptions. Get to know them and allow God to change your perspective regarding people to his perspective.