No Favorites in the Family of God

I was saved at the age of sixteen by Jesus’s death and resurrection, but I remained un-discipled for a few years until I attended a Bible college. My faith grew immensely due to the solid Bible teaching and professors who loved Jesus. However, I felt out of place on campus. Other students would gushingly share stories of how they were saved at the young age of five or seven. I couldn’t relate to their experiences at summer Bible camps or youth group excursions. Because of this, I thought that somehow, I didn’t belong.

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Even when I found a local church, I continued to feel out of place because I hadn’t grown up in church. From the hymns, to the structure of services, to the overall church culture, it all seemed foreign to me. But even worse than feeling like I didn’t belong was the idea that God couldn’t impact others through my life because I was unfamiliar with the established culture of the church.

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I wish I’d known sooner that God does not show favoritism. Throughout the Bible, the Lord worked through people of various backgrounds and ages to spread the good news of His kingdom. From young Timothy, who was raised by his Christian mom and grandma but may have felt unqualified for church leadership because of his youth to elderly Moses, who was raised by people who worshipped idols but was called by the Lord to lead Israel out of Egypt at the age of eighty, God does not have favorites.

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Throughout the Bible, God called shepherds, tentmakers, a doctor, people who had been demon-possessed, prostitutes, and even someone who had formerly persecuted Christians to tell the world of His grace through Jesus.* Today, He calls believers of all different backgrounds, ethnicities, experiences, and ages to be part of His good work. A person’s ability to bring glory to the Lord is not based on when they were saved, but on the One who saved them. Sophia Bricker

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Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong in a group of Christians? Sadly, this happens to a lot of us. In times like these, how could it be helpful to remember how God sees us?

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What are some ways we can be hospitable to people who have a variety of life experiences?

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Have you ever felt unqualified to serve God because of your age or experiences? How could the stories of people in the Bible give you hope? (*If you want to dig deeper, read Luke 2:8-20; 8:1-3; John 20:11-18; Acts 18:2-3; Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15; Hebrews 11.)

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For God does not show favoritism. Romans 2:11 (NLT)

Read Verses:

Exod:7:1-Exod:7:7; Acts:10:27-Acts:10:36; 1 Timothy 4:12-1 Timothy 4:16; Romans 2:11