Luke 6: 38-39 NKJV
I had a interesting conversation with a coworker this past week which had me thinking for a bit. Now, keep in mind that when I first worked with this gent a few years back he was one of the most crass individuals I'd ever met. Fast forward to this past week and what now strikes me about this man. See, he grew up in north Portland, so we will always run into someone he has met when we are out on the road. So, I asked him how he knew so many people. His response surprised me a bit, "Because I'm good to people so I get blessed." I almost spit up my coffee. You're good to others, so you get blessed in return? Am I missing something here? Am I not being good enough to others that I will be blessed more by God? Have I run out of my blessing credits now? You can see how this made me stop and think on his response. Don't we all want to be blessed more by our heavenly Father? Isn't that one of the gauges by which we will judge our relationship with Him? Since when did our relationship with God become a blessings lottery? Since when has the favor of our Lord been for sale? Unfortunately we still have those who see God in this way. Now, I'm not saying that we shouldn't expect blessings from God by any means, but at a price? I'm guessing that if this were the case that then each and every wealthy person in the world would be able to purchase all the blessings that they need. Thankfully this isn't the case at all. For if it were, would Jesus still have preached the love and mercy of the Father? A loving Father who takes joy in blessing His children despite their wealth or status?
2For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” 4have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
James 2: 2 - 5 NKJV
It seems that James, the brother of our Lord Jesus, did not see favoritism as being of God. On the contrary, he saw our favoritism as being against what God has shown His children. That being His own love and mercy. For has not God showered those of lowly status with blessings and the ultimate gift of His promise of eternal life through Christ Jesus? Obviously if our Lords intention was for His salvation to be bestowed only upon those with wealth and status that He would have made it so, right? However, many is the rich man who has not seen Gods eternity. Recall Jesus' parable of the rich man and Lazarus we find in Luke 16? That rich man had all the blessings of life, yet when he died he was on the outside looking in as Lazarus was comforted in the presence of his Lord. Still think that our Lords blessings are for sale to the most righteous? If so you may just join the rich man on the outside of Gods eternity looking in. We do well to remember that there is NO partiality with God
{Romans 2:11}. That in no way means that we should then treat others badly as we know that our salvation is not based on performance. For when we do it is we ourselves who are showing partiality. The blessings and provision of our heavenly Father are not showered only upon those He deems worthy based on our performance. His desire is that all would return to Him and be saved {John 3: 16-17}.
25“But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ 27“Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28‘for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29“Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30“And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31“But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”
Luke 16: 25 - 31 NKJV
~Scott~
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