Three men worked on a pig farm. Not wanting to be late to church, they would come straight from their work to worship. The stench from their clothing made your eyes water. The smell was so overpowering that the pastor eventually talked to them about taking a shower before attending service. He assured them that God would not be upset if they were a couple of minutes late coming to his house. The brothers were happy to comply and we all rejoiced in the Lord together.
James is not encouraging us not to bathe. He is not telling us to use our filthy clothes to test people's tolerance. He is reminding us that possessions are no indicator of God's favoritism.
God has blessed his children who are poor with an abundance of faith. They are aware that they literally rely on him for food and shelter. Those of us who have extra tend to forget we are in the same position.
If we disdain the poor, we would have disdained Jesus when he walked the earth (James 2:1-7).
