HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 283
page A281
How can I overcome prejudice?
• 1 SA MU E L 1 6 :7 | “Don’t judge by his appearance or height. . . . The Lord doesn’t see
things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at
the heart.”
• I SA I A H 5 3 :2 | My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a
root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing
to attract us to him.
Don’t be prejudiced for or against a person because of appearance. Stereotypes abound—
prejudice against fat people, short people, skinny people, ugly people, black people, white
people, yellow people, people with skin defects, bald people—the list goes on. But the real
person is inside; the body is only the shell, the temporary housing. It is wrong to judge a
person by the temporary house he or she is in. The real person inside may be a person of
incredible beauty.
• E ST H E R 3 :5 -6 | [Haman] was filled with rage. . . . So he decided it was not enough to lay
hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout
the entire empire. (See note on page 445.)
• PR O VE R B S 1 4 :3 1 | Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but helping the poor
honors him.
• J A ME S 2 :9 | But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin.
Don’t be prejudiced because of a person’s financial state. A wealthy person and a poor
person come to church. Who is welcomed more? A wealthy person and a poor person
speak up in a church committee meeting. Which one do you listen to more carefully?
• MAT T H E W 1 8 :1 0 | “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell
you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.”
How often have you heard the words “They’re just children”? We don’t have time for
children. We don’t listen to them as much as we would to an adult. In fact, children are the
true VIPs of the world, because the future rests in their hands.
• 1 T I MOT H Y 4 :1 2 | Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young.
• 1 T I MOT H Y 5 :1 | Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as
you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers.
Don’t be prejudiced because of youth or old age. To youth belongs the future; to old age
belongs the honor of bringing us all to this point. Youth has the opportunity to win the
world. Old age has the experience of victory. We should honor each for its contributions.
• MA R K 6 :2 -3 | “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?
. . . He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary.”
Don’t be prejudiced because of a person’s occupation. God does not write off families or
occupations. And perhaps that is why Jesus chose to come to the family of a carpenter
rather than to the family of a king. God loves each person, regardless of occupation.
• MA R K 6 :4 | Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own
hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”
Don’t be prejudiced because a person is a family member or a “hometown” person.
Familiarity sometimes breeds contempt. We know someone well, so we don’t respect that
person. Actually, when we know someone well, and if that person has integrity, we should
honor that person even more. The people of Jesus’ hometown had God’s Son in their
midst but refused to recognize him because of his family and address.
• J O SH U A 2 2 :1 1 -1 2 | The rest of Israel heard that the people of Reuben, Gad, and the
half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar. . . . So the whole community of Israel gathered at
Shiloh and prepared to go to war against them.
HelpFinder
• PR O VE R B S 1 4 :2 0 -2 1 | The poor are despised even by their neighbors, while the rich have
many “friends.” It is a sin to belittle one’s neighbor; blessed are those who help the poor.
R
Don’t be prejudiced for or against a group because of one person in that group. We often
form an opinion about an entire group of people (nationality, church denomination, local
club) based on the actions of one individual.