“What is the price of five sparrows – two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them . And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges Me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels. But anyone who denies Me here on earth will be denied before God’s angels.” (Luke 12:6-9 NLT)
We tend to think of discrimination as a bad thing, and, admittedly, it can be, but to discriminate means essentially to favor one thing over another. As a Jesus follower I must discriminate between what is of the Lord and what is not, what is wholesome, pure, and good for me and what is not. However, when we discriminate among people, determining their value and worth based on our flawed standards, we can get in a lot of trouble with the Lord.
How do we view others, especially those who aren’t “like us”? If they don’t look like us, dress like us, smell like us, believe like us, drive like us, worship like us, aren’t as educated as we are, as socially elite, as spiritually in tune, speak like us, or a thousand other little ways we can differentiate or discriminate between ourselves and others.
Imagine for a moment the Lord came to us and began comparing us to Himself. Talk about embarrassing, humiliating, frustrating, scary! Yet, we have the audacity to pick another human being apart because there’s something about them we don’t like. Gratefully, the Lord chooses not to discriminate between us and chooses rather to love and accept us as His precious children. Would to God we could be more like Him.
Timothy Keller explains it this way: “Jesus loved without discrimination. He did not look at our worthiness or our unworthiness.” Isn’t that the bottom line? Who is worthy of heaven and who is not? And here’s the truth – NO ONE IS WORTHY EXCEPT JESUS! If God, the Father looked at us and said: “No one can enter heaven unless and until they look like My perfect Son!” where would that leave us? At the foot of the Cross and here’s why! That’s exactly what He DOES SAY!
John spells it out for us in 1 John 3:2 when he writes: “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure.”
Living without discrimination focuses on the beauty and majesty of our Savior, not our distinctives. We are all flawed in some way and none worthy in comparison with our perfect Savior. I’m very grateful that when the Lord views those of us who are born again by His grace, He only sees the reflection of His perfect face. His scars cover our flaws, so the Father only sees the Lord’s perfect face when He views us.
As children of the Risen King our view of others must never be skewed by their differences from us, but only by this: are they walking with Jesus or are they lost? Saved people need to be loved and accepted as our dearly loved brothers and sisters and those who are lost need to be loved and guided to their only hope of heaven, the Lord Jesus.
We must be the Lord’s agents of kindness, goodness, and mercy, not judges that drive others away. May we treat our lost friends and saved loved ones without discrimination, loving them as we and they are loved by the Lord.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 