Created with WordSwag; used with permission

Morning Devotion: God created one race, human. Cleansing from the sin of racism. 

In Genesis it does not say, “Then God created asian people, latino people, jewish people, native people, white people, and black people.” It said God created Adam and Eve. We humans came up with different races of people. God created one human race that has different expressions of His beauty and creativity. 

It amuses me how people cling to labels that were created to promote division and racism. Part of the US census was to keep “white” people from mingling with anyone with brown DNA. Brown DNA, especially African DNA is dominant. 

All of life began on the continent of Africa. Science has proven African is the oldest DNA. If you combine African, Asian, Native, etc…DNA with non brown DNA it is prone to be dominant. There was also a belief that those with brown skin were inferior and their culture was a threat to all things “white”. 

Boxes and labels were created to keep people segregated due to fear, pride, insecurity, and in many cases greed. If you want someone’s land or to exploit them, to ease your conscious you make them less than you. If your neighbor is not human, or an inferior human it does not feel as bad to kill them, rape them, steal their land, or abuse/enslave them. 

The Jews thrown in concentration camps were not considered human. The Africans enslaved were not human, or less than. The Natives raped, killed, and forced off their land were considered savages. The other brown people groups bombed, killed were considered less than. 

The point I am trying to make is racism is sin. It is a sin that greatly grieves the heart of God. It is void of agape love, God love. Those who do not love, do not know God because God is love (1 John 4:8). 

God created one race of people, humans. The labels we cling to were created by humans to promote division. White people are not really white (void of all pigment). White is a crayon color; It is not a people group. Africans can have pink/pale children with blond hair and blue eyes. Black is a crayon color, it does not encompass all the different ethnic groups that emerged from the continent (Africa is not a country, it is a continent) of Africa. There are people all over the world with brown to dark brown skin. 

The pride people take in things that have zero relevance to God astounds me. He sees people He loves. He’s not in heaven taking a census, “Oh wait, did you check the box latino for this one. Great. I need to make sure heaven is diverse, we meet our quota.” 

Father God is not like us, our ethnic group of choice. He is Spirit. Those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. He is not our preferred ethnic group. He also created both male and female in His image. Every human being was God’s idea. God is not like an earthly male. Females were made in His image as well. I will touch on gender and sexism in a different post. 

When He sent His Son He sent Him through the lineage of the Jews; He made a covenant with Abraham. The Jews in the times of Jesus were olive skinned to brown/dark brown, had wool like/curly hair. Jesus would not be welcome today in many churches that claim Him. He would not be considered European or “white”. The portraits of Jesus with blond hair and blue eyes are artists reflections. Some of the earliest paintings of Him and Mary they were both brown. 

My prayer is we examine the labels we cling to. We examine how humanity birthed racism out of sin. The root being insecurity and pride, “Someone must be inferior to feel superior.” 

Racism is also a fruit of fractured identity and a soul void of God love. When we know our value in the eyes of God we can love and appreciate others. There are no inferior people groups in God’s eyes. We humans came up with putting others down to feel good about ourselves. 

Lord forgive us for the sins of insecurity, pride, and racism. You created one race, human. You love every single person on this planet. Oh how you love us. Help us to strip off labels given by man and be clothed in the labels given by You. Help us to view others from Your perspective. Help us to receive Your love and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Break the bondages of pride, insecurity, and fractured identity off our country and world. Heal fractured identities and souls. The world needs Your agape love. Come Lord Jesus! Eradicate the deep roots of fear, insecurity, pride, racism, and sexism in our world. Please forgive our country and our world for our sins. Cleanse us of our iniquity. Heal our land. Let heaven come here. In Jesus powerful name. Amen.