[Friday's Devotional] - Don't trust your Race

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:26-29 [NIV]

 

How do you feel about issues of Race?  Sometimes we can be bound by “institutional racism” whereby we subconsciously have thoughts that we need to challenge in the light of the bible verses above.  We are all children of God, it doesn’t matter if we are Jews or non-Jews (Gentiles) – we are one in Christ Jesus.

 

Recent events including the European elections have raised the issue of nationalism and racism, of the rights to live and work in different countries and the issue of immigration – I find this quote below to be good for dispelling the view of racial superiority:

 

“Your car is German.  Your vodka is Russian.  Your pizza is Italian.  Your kebab is Turkish.  Your democracy is Greek.  Your coffee is Brazilian.  Your movies are American.  Your tea is Tamil.  Your shirt is Indian.  Your oil is Saudi Arabian.  Your electronics are Chinese.  Your numbers Arabic, your letters Latin.  And you complain that your neighbour is an immigrant?  Pull yourself together.”  [Origin unknown, via @angharadm]

 

Action:

Think about your attitudes to race.  Pride in your country is not wrong, and supporting your team in the World Cup is admirable.  Feelings of racial superiority over our neighbours is against the teaching and practice of Jesus.  Do something practical and personal today to counterbalance any subconscious feelings of superiority you may feel towards another child of God. 

 

Prayer:

Lord I want to be obedient to your will – help me to treat others as brothers and sisters regardless of their origins or backgrounds.  Teach me to love everyone you have created in your image as members of one family.  In Jesus name I ask this, Amen.

 

Dave MacLellan