Why think twice about your answer to, “What’s your preference?”
By Dean Collins
We all have them, but there are limits in when and how to use them.
I prefer Bridgestone over Titleist golf balls.
I prefer black coffee over flavored or sweetened.
I prefer fall weather over winter.
I prefer whole wheat over white bread.
We all have our preferences, and retailers reward us for them. You can earn loyalty points just about everywhere. And while these programs may help some businesses provide better customer service, their main goal is for you to spend more money on their products. The more we spend, the more preferred we become. We are even willing to pay for the attention, preferences, and rewards that come to us. How many credit cards or membership clubs have you joined? I’m not saying they are all bad; I’m just pointing out how much we are willing to spend to be preferred or receive special treatment.
It may be the way of the world to show preferences and partiality, but James is clear that there is no place for these attitudes in the kingdom of God. In chapter 1 we learn that divine wisdom is available when we ask and that we can’t simply be consumers of spiritual content; we must live and act out the things God teaches us. Chapter 1 closes with the challenge to both control our tongue and to care for those in real need, specifically widows and orphans, if we want to have a faith that is valuable and sincere.
No partiality
As chapter 2 opens, James continues his instructions: Show no partiality as you hold the faith in Jesus as Lord. Club mentality has no place in the kingdom of God. And I suspect as we read these familiar words we often nod and think, That’s not for me. We’ve come a long way since the first-century church where there were clearly more class distinctions than in 2021. And probably most of us wouldn’t mind if someone not as refined or preferred sat next to us at the Sunday worship gathering. But maybe these verses have more to do with how we treat people outside the church walls.
Typically we tend to run with the crowd that looks and acts like we do. It has become normal to generally have friends of the same race and income level as our own. We tend to be more comfortable that way. And there is nothing wrong with a person having a friend who is similar in specific ways. The spiritual problem is when all or most of our interactions are confined to the same group. If that’s the case, then James would ask, “How is anyone outside your category ever going to hear or better see the good news of Jesus?”
Beyond preferences
To be like Jesus we must be willing to cross economic and racial lines and barriers. To be like Jesus we must be willing to love and serve those we don’t prefer because we remember God loves them. To be like Jesus we must allow the Word of to God correct us in every area of our thinking and behavior so that the world will see how Jesus transforms and restores all that is broken in this world.
James gets pretty direct about our attitudes toward others. We tend to operate more with judgment than love when we consider others. If they sin in a different way than we do, they get sidelined. The mercy God has shown us is to be extended to all, not just to our preferred tribe.
According to James (and more importantly to Jesus), developing a Christian worldview is more than just learning more Scripture and filling our heads with good theology. To possess a Christian worldview is equally about how we behave. To follow Jesus we must begin not only to look at how we treat people and possessions; we must be willing to act in alignment with our theology. To follow Jesus we must act like the Jesus who attended parties of the rich and famous but also sat for a drink of water and a conversation with a woman whose reputation was scandalous.
May the mercy and love of Christ rule our thoughts and guide our behavior as we seek to follow Jesus this new year.
Your time with God’s Word
James 2:1-13 ESV
