And Seven Others 其他七人
Dexu Xia
Believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. James 2:1
Tragedy struck near Los Angeles in January 2020 when nine people died in a helicopter crash. Most news stories began something like this, “NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna (“Gigi”), and seven others lost their lives in the accident.”
It’s natural and understandable to focus on the well-known people involved in a horrible situation like this—and the deaths of Kobe and his precious teenager Gigi are heartbreaking beyond description. But we must keep in mind that in life’s big picture there’s no dividing line that makes the “seven others” (Payton, Sarah, Christina, Alyssa, John, Keri, and Ara) any less significant.
Sometimes we need to be reminded that each human is important in God’s eyes. Society shines bright lights on the rich and famous. Yet fame doesn’t make a person any more important than your next-door neighbor, the noisy kids who play in your street, the down-on-his-luck guy at the city mission, or you.
Every person on earth is created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), whether rich or poor (Proverbs 22:2). No one is favored more than another in His eyes (Romans 2:11), and each is in need of a Savior (3:23).
We glorify our great God when we refuse to show favoritism—whether in the church (James 2:1–4) or in society at large.
What can you do to show love for all mankind—rich or poor, famous or obscure? How did Jesus reveal this kind of love?
Heavenly Father, help me to show love and kindness to all, regardless of their station in life.
在2020年1月，洛杉矶附近发生了一场悲剧，有九个人因直升机坠毁而丧生。大多数新闻报导都是这样开头：“美国篮球巨星科比．布莱恩特和女儿吉安娜，以及其他七人在事故中不幸罹难。”
通常在发生这种悲惨事件时，把注意力集中在名人身上是很自然的，也是可以理解的。况且科比和他年轻爱女吉安娜的死，确实令人感到悲伤难过。但我们必须记住，从生命的本身来看，“其他七人”（佩顿、莎拉、克里斯蒂娜、艾莉莎、约翰、凯丽和爱拉）的生命都同样宝贵。
有时我们需要被提醒，在上帝的眼中每个人都是重要的。社会大众会更关注于富人和名人，然而名气并不能使任何一个人比你的邻居、在街上玩耍吵闹的孩子、在收容所潦倒的人，或者你来得更重要。
世上每个人无论贫富（箴言22章2节），都是按照上帝的形象创造的（创世记1章27节）。上帝爱每个人，祂从不偏待人（罗马书2章11节），每个人都需要救主（3章23节）。
无论是在教会中还是在社会上，当我们拒绝偏心待人时（雅各书2章1-4节），我们就能使伟大的上帝得荣耀。
你能做些什么来表达对每个人的爱，
其中包括富人或穷人、名人或普通人？
耶稣是如何彰显这种爱呢？
天父，请帮助我能以爱和仁慈对待所有的人，
无论对方是什么身份或地位。