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Thoughts for a Woman's Heart |
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encouragement in things that matter |
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God Has No Favorites
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Have you ever asked yourself the question, "Who would I be apart from the presence and grace of God in my life?" Before you answer the question, in your thinking, remove any influence of a godly home, separate yourself from the hours you spent in Sunday School, and blot out the impact of Christian friends, mentors, and even Christian literature or media. Keep however the negative influences and the wrong choices that have been yours. I would even encourage you to write out your answer on a 3x5" card and tuck it in your Bible, so you can think about it again later. I answered the question, and the words I wrote did not create a pretty picture. The picture I created was in stark contrast to the woman God’s grace has allowed me to become, but it was a very sobering picture. To be honest, I have answered the question many times before because I do not want to lose the impact of its answer.
It is easy for us to separate people into all kinds of class distinctions. Each class has a unifying element, and we tend to label contrasting classes as "good" and "bad." We classify people according to skin color, cultural backgrounds, marital status, economic and educational levels, abilities, and even emotional health. Sadly, we also classify people according to the sins they have committed and the sin issues they still struggle with. I don’t recall Jesus questioning the thief on the cross about the extent of his sin or hesitating to embrace his eternal soul when the thief asked in simple faith for Jesus to remember him in His kingdom. Moments before, this thief had mocked Jesus with insults, but Jesus did not question the sincerity of his faith. Jesus instead, accepted him, approved him, and brought him into the family of God. Paul taught the Galatians that in Christ there are no distinctions between Jews and Gentiles, between the slave man and the master, or between men and women. Regardless of the arbitrary distinctions imposed by society or otherwise, God looks at His family through eyes of grace and simply sees His redeemed children, free from any distinctive that separates or creates a judgmental attitude.
James wrote to those who were favoring the rich over the poor. He admonished them, and then reminded them that mercy needs to triumph over judgment. Nowhere are we told to ignore sin, but even when confronting sin issues, judgment apart from mercy accomplishes nothing. Mercy recognizes who I would be apart from the presence and grace of God in my life. And when I maintain an awareness of the lavish grace of God that has been, and is, mine, I cannot judge apart from mercy and I cannot extend favoritism, or withhold from another the love, the acceptance, the forgiveness, the understanding – the grace that has made me who I am.
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— Bev |
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