Prejudiced? Not Me! - Living Free Every Day - September 28

Am I Prejudiced?: Prejudiced? Not Me!

Living Free Every Day®
A ministry of LivingFree.org

Scripture
"Be honest in your judgment and do not decide at a glance (superficially and by appearance); but judge fairly and righteously." John 7:24 AMP

Thoughts for the Day
Are you a prejudiced person? You are most likely thinking, "Not me!" But is that really true?

Prejudice is the act of prejudging someone based on something other than fact. Most people, when hearing the word prejudice think of racism, but this is just one of the many kinds of prejudice.

When we meet someone for the first time, we tend to "pigeonhole" them in some way. We may judge them by the way they are dressed… by their vocabulary… or by a tattoo or multiple earrings or hairstyle.

Prejudice involves prejudging someone before we know the facts. Sooo… if we decide that they are irresponsible because other family members have proved to be that way… that they are not trustworthy because they are Muslim… that they are a notch beneath us because of the way they are dressed… or maybe unapproachable because of their standing in society—are we not demonstrating prejudice?

Consider this…
Jesus looked beyond all these outward characteristics and guilt by association—he looked at the heart. If we want to demonstrate his love toward others, we need to do the same. To care about everyone enough to get acquainted, to understand them, and to love them unconditionally.

Prayer
Father, I haven't considered myself to be a prejudiced person, but as I think about it, I realize that I do sometimes prejudge people. Help me to do as Jesus did—to look beyond the superficial appearances and see the heart. In Jesus' name.

GO DEEPER:

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