Thursday, February 4, 2016

Micah 6:8

One the greatest blessings about pastoring a local church in a more rural setting that is neither hip nor particularly affluent is learning this all important principle.  'How we walk with the broken speaks louder than how we sit with the great.'   As Christians we must learn how to love the entire body of Christ (including those with poor fashion, poor hygiene, poor health, poor education, poor social graces, etc, etc).

(James 2:1-8) "My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.  For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?  Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?  But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?  If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law, according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well."