Playing Favorites

Playing favorites is always a bad thing; you can do great harm in seemingly harmless ways.

Proverbs 28:21 The Message

We all have favorite things, right? Coffee, restaurant, snack, favorite pair of jeans... no harm, no foul. But do we have favorite people? Does everyone around us know who they are? 

Playing favorites is never a good thing when it comes to people. Favoritism is always at the expense of others - whether at work or in the home. Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau carried down to the next generation, Joseph and his coat of many colors... All the doors that were opened in that family line to hatred, envy, deceitfulness, and pride. The truth is it's a sin. Yes, sin! 

James discusses it at length in chapter 2, beginning in verse 1 NLT, My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? Verse 9a, the same chapter declares, But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. Romans 2:11 tells us there is no favoritism with God. And we are to be like Him.

Prayer:

Father,

           Forgive us our sins of looking on the outward appearance of mankind and judging one better than the other, instead of seeing their hearts. Help us to undo any damage that may have been done along the way. Help us to see as You see and to love as You love. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

No Favoritism

Then Peter replied, "I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right."
Acts 10:34-35 NLT

In Peter's time, it was against Jewish custom to enter a Gentile home and they were not to eat with them, and yet, that is exactly what the Holy Spirit told Peter to do. And Peter obeyed. 

Philip left Jerusalem under the great persecution that started after Stephen's stoning, and he went straight to Samaria. You remember the anti-socialism between the Jews and Samaritans, don't you? Mixed race. Half Jewish. Extreme prejudice! But that's where the Holy Spirit led Philip to preach, and preach he did! 

People won't like it when you do the same thing. The Jewish believers were mad at Peter for visiting and eating with the Gentiles. They also later sent Peter and John to check out the Samaritan believers and what Philip was doing...

They were just continuing the work of Jesus. Jesus preached to Samaritans and Greeks and even Romans. His Good News has always been for everyone. Revelation 22:`7 NLT, reads: The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.

Whosoever will... No favoritism.

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for whosoever will. Thank You for including all of us. Thank You for making us of one mind, one heart and one Spirit. Let anyone who desires drink from the water of life. All of us who desire You. Let it be so, Father, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen