Thought for the Day

Verse 21 - Our heavenly Father is always loving and just. He desires us to be like Him. In the Bible, one notices that God blesses some people more than others. He does not show favoritism, but His blessing is determined by how much of His Word we apply to our lives. He always blesses His Word, upholds His Word, and favors those who obey it. God is no respecter of men, but He does respect His Word (Acts 10:34-36). What He will do for one He will do for another when there is a response of faith to Him and His Word. If we are to be like Him, we must not treat anyone with prejudice because of their social status, position of authority, race, age, or gender. We must treat everyone fairly, as God does. "...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? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor...If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors" (James 2:2,7-9).

The "royal law" of James 2:8 which says, "If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well" and the "golden rule" of Luke 6:31 instruct us to love all people as we love ourselves: "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise."

Neither are we to give the rich special attention nor to despise and ignore the poor. Rich or poor, we are all created in God's image, and every believer is an heir to the promises in His Word. In the Spirit, there are no races, social levels, or gender distinctions; we are all one in Christ (Galatians 3:26-29). Since we have different assignments from God, we fill different roles in life. Some positions, such as those of church or state government which affect and influence many lives are more important than others. However, the people filling those positions are no more important to God than the poorest men. God highly values the lives of all men and women.

Verse 22 - People who are driven to get rich quickly often use any means of pursuing wealth. This will eventually leave them impoverished. One can be poor in more than finances; for a man who has no peace, who cannot sleep at night and is in a constant state of stress is a poor man indeed.