Do You Show Favoritism?

Favoritism – a very ugly thing. It destroys families. It breaks hearts and causes horrible conflicts. So much pain is caused by it. It not only hurts the ones not favored, but can hurt the ones favored as well.

What the Bible Says:

Look what happened when Israel showed favoritism to his son Joseph. It caused so much pain in the family that Joseph’s brothers wanted to kill him, but ended up selling their own brother as a slave! (Scriptures 1. Joseph Sold as a Slave – Genesis 37:3-28).

The Lord instructs us not to show favoritism (Scriptures 2. Do Not Show Favoritism). In our church, we should not treat those with wealth better than those without. Scriptures even say that if you show favoritism, you sin. So not only are your hurting people and causing pain and conflict, but you are actually sinning against God.

God does not show favoritism (Thank you Jesus!). His wonderful salvation and Holy Spirit are for everyone who reaches for it (Scriptures 3. God Does Not Show Favoritism). It doesn’t matter how you have lived your life, or what you have done. Nor your race, sex, age, or bloodline. Jesus loves us all.

Personal Testimony – Do You Show Favoritism?:

Wounds from favoritism run deep. As a child, I experienced an extreme case and I was definitely not the favorite. Growing up seeing one of your siblings get all the love and attention is seriously hurtful. It’s like the parent saying, I don’t care about or love you, I only love that child, and you are insignificant and unimportant. I still have issues over that today. For me, it’s not something you can just get over. It stays with you. Certain things can happen that brings all this to memory and then go through it all over again. I’m still praying for the Lord to heal me in that area.

I am so appreciative that Jesus doesn’t choose favorites. God’s love is for all of us and is one thing no one can take away from us. He will never fail us or leave us.

Conclusion:

Of course, we get along with different people at different levels, and some kids are easier than others. And we tend to be closer to certain family members than others. But still, we should be courteous and kind to everyone. We should treat all our children the same and show love and respect to them all.

Especially if you are a born again Christian, you absolutely should not be showing favoritism. The Bible makes it very clear; God does not want us to show favoritism in any situation. It can be hard. Temptation can be strong, but we need to rise above that and never show favoritism in any part of our lives.