How Do You Usher People Into Your Life?

God is doing a work in me by revealing my need to intentional love people.  James illustrates how a usher's actions can show motive in James 2:2-4.

² For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting  dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. ³ If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, ⁴ doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?

In this example you have a man that can serve your needs and a man who can’t.  The fancy man can help me network and gain earthly success.  The filthy man, not so much networking and earthly success.  If I give preferential treatment to the fancy man instead of the filthy man it reveals my ambitions and motives.  It proves that they are not of God.  James actually writes they are evil.  Why? 

In the early church people where dealing with issues of status and discrimination just like today.  Going to a religious meeting was like a modern day red carpet affair.  The religious social elite would be paraded into the meeting place while common people vied for a blessing.  The elite would be given the best seats and then the common people could stand or sit on the floor.    Jesus broke this practice by treating all people with respect and dignity.  He rolled up the red carpet and shed His blood so that everyone can walk a red, blood stained, path and become royalty in the Kingdom of God.

How we usher people into our lives either complements or competes with what Jesus has done.  I’m in competition and contradicting Jesus when I discriminate.  Complementing Jesus is when I allow Him to dominate my daily actions and activities.  I need to intentional love people just because Jesus does and not for what they can do for me. 

More application to come…