DRAWING NEAR
June 20
Guarding Your Motives
"If a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed
in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty
clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing
the fine clothes, and say, 'You sit here in a good place,' and
you say to the poor man, 'You stand over there, or sit down by
my footstool,' have you not made distinctions among yourselves,
and become judges with evil motives?" (James 2:2-4).
The story is told of a pastor who never ministered to an individual
or family in his church without first checking a current record of
their financial contributions. The more generous they were with their
money, the more generous he was with his time. That's an appalling
and flagrant display of favoritism, but in effect it's the same kind
of situation James dealt with in our text for today.
Picture yourself in a worship service or Bible study when suddenly
two visitors enter the room. The first visitor is a wealthy man, as
evidenced by his expensive jewelry and designer clothes. The second
visitor lives in abject poverty. The street is his home, as evidenced
by his filthy, smelly, shabby clothing.
How would you respond to each visitor? Would you give the rich man
the best seat in the house and see that he is as comfortable as
possible? That's a gracious thing to do if your motives are pure. But
if you're trying to win his favor or profit from his wealth, a
vicious sin has taken hold of you.
Your true motives will be revealed in the way you treat the poor man.
Do you show him equal honor, or simply invite him to sit on the
floor? Anything less than equal honor reveals an evil intent.
Favoritism can be subtle. That's why you must be in prayer and in the
Word, constantly allowing the Spirit to penetrate and purify your
deepest, most secret motives.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Praise God for His purity. Ask Him always to control your
motives and actions.
For Further Study:
Some Christians confuse honor with partiality. Giving honor to those
in authority is biblical; showing partiality is sinful. Read 1 Peter
2:17 and Romans 13:1, noting the exhortations to honor those in
authority over you.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
1 Peter 2:17
17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
Romans 13:1
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is
no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are
appointed by God.
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
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and
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You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase@wowway.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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There is a living God. He has spoken in His word. He means just what he says, and will do all that He has promised. - Hudson Taylor
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