When we are born, we’re issued with a standard behaviour package. Other behaviours we learn as the years pass. Some behaviours we learn from our parents, some at school, and some from our friends. Friends have a major impact on how we live our lives.

Many of our behaviours, whether we are born with them, or whether we learn them along the way, do not really suit a child of God, and we have to work on them.

One of the behaviours that was included in the standard package is to treat rich people or people with status well. There might be nothing wrong with that. The problem, however, is that we treat people with nothing to bring to the party, badly or as inferior beings. And that is one of the behaviours we must get rid of.

James uses an excellent example:

^2-4If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street person wearing rags comes in right after him, and you say to the man in the suit, “Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!” and either ignore the street person or say, “Better sit here in the back row,” haven’t you segregated God’s children and proved that you are judges who can’t be trusted?

The problem is that the way I treat people is based on what I can get from them. Maybe I could score a few rands from the rich people, while the influential people make me look good. I can’t get a lot from poor people, and to be seen with them doesn’t do much for my status.

This is part of the old way of doing things, the old behaviour package. If we still treat people this way, it shows that while our hearts may have been renewed, our conduct lags far behind.

To help me get this right, I use the way I look for animals when I go to a game reserve. I read somewhere that a game warden had said that you shouldn’t look at the bush to see the game, but into the bush. And suddenly I saw much more game.

You have to look into people. Look past the way they look on the outside, past their full or empty bags, their pretty or worn clothes, or even how clean they are, and into their hearts, because that is what Jesus did.

Scripture
James 2:1-7

Reflection
How do you look at people?
What do you see?
Does it affect your behaviour?

Prayer
Father, I struggle with this one. I struggle to treat everybody with the same respect. I act from my default. Please help me with this. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.