Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
- James 2:5

Look at what God has done. Can you see it?

The rules of our culture are pretty clear: the rich get privileges. This isn’t a criticism, just an observation. There’s a lot in life you can only do if you have money. And, the wealthier you are, the more options you have. We here in the United States should feel humbled and blessed to be among the wealthiest people in the world and in human history.

But God has done a new thing. He’s chosen the poor to have privileges. They have unique opportunities to pile up faith. They have unique chances to participate in God’s kingdom. They have unique blessings from God.

James doesn’t assume that God is “wealth-blind.” In fact, he takes his point about about favoritism that we looked at on Monday and puts a challenging spin on it. When James tells us not to show favoritism, it isn’t because everyone’s equal. Today we learn that it’s because we would lean in the wrong direction.

God has shown favor to the poor. He’s on their side. He loves the rich, saves the rich, welcomes the rich … all that’s true. But the poor have a special place in God’s heart and in our community.

What do you think of James’ claim that God has shown favor to the poor?