No Favorites with God

For God does not show favoritism. – Romans 2:11 (NIV)

Why do think God may not show favoritism? How do you show favoritism? Why do you show favoritism? How great is it that God does not play favorites with you?

The following story was e-mailed to me about a soldier coming home from Vietnam:
He called his parents from San Francisco.
“Mom and Dad, I’m coming home, but I’ve got a favor to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring with me.”
“Sure,” they replied, “we’d love to meet him.”
“There’s something you should know the son continued, “he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mined and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.”
“No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.”
“Son,” said the father, “you don’t know what you’re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way to live on his own.”
At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him.
A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn’t know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

We are not very good at accepting others for who they are. We are not even very good at accepting ourselves for that matter. Thank God we accepted by God! However, if we are to be true to the God we follow, worship, and praise, we would do good to ensure that others who feel unloved in this world might find that we do not play favorites too. In that way those who feel they have no place in this world might find a place in our presence.

With hope and joy,
Garrett