Daily Devotional January 31 - The Apathy Of God's People

"My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;  And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:  Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?" James 2"1-4

Bottom line - Too many Christians judge others by their looks.  There are countless stories where this kind of prejudice takes place.  It's parishioners, pastors, priests, ministry leaders, deacons and lay leaders.  They are still having a hard time getting past the skin, the dress, the hat, the beard.  It makes me wonder if the Church really has the answers anymore.

I believe that the Church has fallen to an all time low as it pertains to true holiness and godliness.  Oh, anybody can go through the motions and act like they love Jesus and "praise the Lord" and "come on in brother."  But meaning it from their heart and practicing true Christianity is altogether a different thing.  I admire those who have broken through the awful barrier of prejudice that our forefathers and in some cases our parents put into place.  Most young people are not nearly as prejudice as the generation before us.  But still stereotyping and profiling a man or a woman based on what they look like, that is not the Christian way.

If you are one of these people that claim Christ but have many rules and regulations about appearance, get over it.  You are not following the protocols of Jesus.
You have become a judge instead of a brother or sister.
You have become a ruler, a pharisee of sorts and not an advocate.
You have taken the throne away from God and sit there comfortably as the all-knowing.
You have taken on a job title that doesn't exist in God's vocabulary.

When you look at someone and judge them, you lesson their ability to reach you.  God may be using them to bring you a message and you turn them away before they even speak.  What a travesty.
I know many people that have made sure judgments about so and so on TV, even though they have never met them, nor have they ever walked with them a mile or two or listened long enough to get past their own prejudices.  Christians mocking Christians in the name of Christ.  Is this what we have become?

In most cases it would be best if you kept your opinion to yourself, but if you have to pass judgement, I'd be careful to go easy.  God is not pleased with such behavior.  Why is there no fear in your heart that what you are doing doesn't please God?  How can you run a family or a church with such a poor view of your children or parishioners.  No wonder they rebel and/or move on.  They are tired of being tormented by someone who thinks they are something they are not.  Pride is an awful friend and relentless if there is even a notion that you will change the way you think.  For most people of prejudiced opinions, this post will only fuel the fire.  I am hoping for the few that believe Jesus.  I didn't write the Bible.