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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Saturday, February 12, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Impartiality to Wealth Bible Verse:James 2:5-13 (NASB) "Impartiality to Wealth L isten, 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. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment." Message:
James develops his case by giving three reasons why such preferential treatment is not only unwise, but sinful. The first is that it is inconsistent with the way God treats the poor. “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?” (Jas. 2:5).
Our Lord particularly focused on those who had the greatest needs: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden” (Luke 4:18). The poor are generally more receptive to the gospel than the wealthy who are tempted to trust in material things.
The second reason is that it is foolish to give preference to those who “oppress you and personally drag you into court” (Jas. 2:6). The rich were often responsible for the persecution of the early church (e.g., Acts 4:1-3; 13:50), and as a group they blasphemed “the fair name” by which these believers were called (Jas. 2:7) by following the lure of wealth and despising the needy.
Third, James says in 2:8-11 that receiving others on the basis of outward appearances is contrary to the “royal law” which says that “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Jas. 2:8). Our neighbors are the people whose need we see (cf. Luke 10:30-37). “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (Jas. 2:9). When we show partiality toward those with higher socio-economic status, we are loving ourselves above our neighbors by treating people not for who they really are, but for what they can do for us.
Dr. Boa is devoted to a ministry of relational evangelism and discipleship, teaching, writing, and speaking. He holds a B.S. in astronomy from Case Institute of Technology, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. from New York University, and a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford in England. I highly recommend a visit to his website, KenBoa.org, which is filled with free videos, written commentary, newsletters, etc.
Meditation : Prayer : And now, as a little child, let me abide in you all this day, oh Christ, so that when you appear I may have confidence and not shrink from you in shame at your coming. For I know that you are righteous, and I am sure that I will be made righteous only by my life in you......Amen |
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