No Partiality

Anyone who is asked if they live and lead without partiality would say, "certainly".  Yet, it is a great temptation to show favoritism to some over others. Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with warnings about showing favoritism.  It seems to be a very detestable thing to the Lord.  This is especially true for leaders because our position of leadership is symbolic of the position of the Lord in many ways.  Lev. 19:15 tells us, "Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly."(NLT)  From this verse we can see that favoritism toward either the rich or the poor is wrong.  Again in 2 Chron. 19:7 we read," Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or taking bribes." There are many ways a bribe may be offered and we must be very careful not to allow special favors in our direction to influence us to prefer one person over another. In the Kingdom of God we must treat everyone fairly.  Integrity is major part of our doorway of trust into the lives of people.  Maintaining our integrity is in large part protected by our impartiality. 

Friendship is something we all need.  However, leaders must be careful to keep friendship at a distance from our leadership role and responsibilities.  We must be careful to maintain confidentiality and to create around us an atmosphere of safety.   Impartiality is a big part of that atmosphere.  Let us allow this to cause us to be more aware of the temptation to partiality and to live in the balance of the scales of Godly justice.