My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? … Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

— James 2:1-9

Many years ago, I was in Mississippi with a group of teens on a service trip working with an African American pastor friend of mine in his community. One day, I went with him into the local hardware store for supplies. I was immediately taken aback as the employees working there attempted to talk past him to talk to me. I hadn’t felt prejudice before. It was ugly. I watched, amazed, as my friend graciously redirected their conversation to him.

Jesus’ brother James was a straight shooter. He knew the implications of what his brother had said about loving one’s neighbor. He was witnessing too many people who in both attitude and action were treating some people one way and others another. They were playing favorites. In so doing, they were living inconsistently with their faith, or worse, claiming to have a faith they really didn’t have.

Why do we avoid people who aren’t like us? Why are we suspicious and fearful around certain groups of people? Why do we treat some people differently in group contexts? Race, religion, political affiliation, socioeconomic status, etc., can cause us, if we’re not extremely careful, to lose sight of the intrinsic value every human being created in the image of God possesses. Jesus died for us all. The ground is level at the foot of the cross.

Making sense

You made me; you created me. Now, give me the sense to follow your commands.

— Psalm 119:73

“This is so easy,” I said to myself as I loosened the car’s headlight. After messing with it for a few minutes, the tube exploded in my hands. Thankfully, I wasn’t hurt, but it did alert me to the fact that the bulb I broke was the high beam, not the burned-out low beam. “Amazingly,” when I went online to learn how the lights were positioned on the car by the ones who made the car, I was able to replace it.

The Psalmist, in the verse above, answers some important questions. Who made us? God did. Who created us? Yep, still God. So, if we were interested in any way as to how life was supposed to work, who would have the inside track? Once again, the answer is God himself. Graciously, he has provided instructions for us to follow. The only missing piece is the sense to do that. Good news! God will also provide that to any who will ask.

Decisions regarding every single facet of life are a part of our reality every day. How do we navigate all these things? Where will we turn for direction? Who has that voice of authority, and upon what is that authority based? As the creator of life, God speaks from a place of true objectivity and love. Life was his idea. It just makes sense to seek him out as to how to live it.

Wiles is senior minister of Fall Creek Christian Church in Pendleton. He can be reached at 765-778-3166.