“God shows no partiality . . whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” Acts 10:34-35 NKJV
“Inaccurate perceptions and inappropriate prejudice limit your availability for God’s purposes.”
My thoughts and comments today are “perceptions and prejudice.”
I wish I knew who had written this observation about perceptions and prejudice: “Prejudice is the product of a lazy mind. It is contempt prior to investigation. Your first impression of someone is incomplete, and often inaccurate. Don’t make lasting decisions based on limited insights.” Those are wise words you should take to heart. Prejudice is not pretty. It assumes your worst perceptions, clouds your better judgment, incites unholy behavior, and creates suspicion and separation between people.
The world into which Jesus was born was as filled with prejudice, as is ours – men prejudiced toward women, Romans prejudiced toward the subjugated people of Palestine, Jewish citizens held no regard for the Romans, Jews were prejudiced against Samaritans, Samaritans toward Jews, the southern people of Israel depreciated the more rural, northern Galileans. And then there was the clear distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Prejudice knows no bounds – gender, national, racial, geographical, societal, political, and religious. Prejudice is not something new to the 21st century.
Simon Peter learned a valuable lesson about perceptions and prejudice. See Acts 10:9-23 NKJV. His prejudice required a vision repeated three times and a direct word from God to break the incorrect assumptions that would have prevented his usefulness to God. God spoke clearly, “If God says something is acceptable, don’t say that it isn’t.” Acts 10:15 NLT. Inaccurate perceptions of others and inappropriate prejudice limit your availability for God’s purposes.
What was Peter’s conclusion? “In truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality. In every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” Acts 10:34-35 NKJV. God was correcting Peter’s opinion of people – a Gentile and Roman officer in this case – not things. God shows no partiality, accepting all with the same grace and acceptance. Cornelius’ faith was as sincere as Peter’s and God’s love for Cornelius was no less. Read Acts 10:34-11:18 NKJV.
Other translations variously say God “does not show favoritism/treats everyone on the same basis/is no respecter of persons.” The Greek origin signifies “accepting of face/countenance,” which could probably be equated with a more familiar expression today, “to accept at face value.” The idea is accepting others as God sees them, not as you wrongly assume them to be. Read 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 NLT. The numerous responsibilities in the New Testament toward “one another” are a good place to begin.
The Bible’s expectation of your encounters with others is this: “May the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ has received us, to the glory of God.” Romans 15:5-7 NKJV. Acceptance is the deepest need of every heart, an invaluable gift to others that costs you nothing but your pride.
My prayer for you today is that you extend Godly acceptance to others.