People have the habit of judging people by the outward appearance and in many cases their judgment was so far off base that it was not very funny!

They may be judged by the way they dress, or by the color of their skin, or based on their economic standing in the community. Their clothes may be ragged, or the color of their skin may not meet our standard, or they may be less fortunate than most in terms of financial stability. Yet, none of these things should be grounds for keeping people from being welcomed into the Lord's church.

The Lord tells us, "Do not judge according to appearance , but judge with righteous judgment." (John 7:24)

In I Samuel 16:7, we read, "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or his physical stature , because I have refused him, For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but eh lord looks at the heart."

We need to get out of this habit of looking down on people just because they may not be where we are n life. And please be careful that not become self-righteous. We all have what we have because the Lord blessed us in some way or another. We may have been blessed with good health that allows us to acquire the things of life that the less fortunate, due to physical problems, may not have. There may be reasons beyond our understanding and knowledge that will cause us to judge the outward appearance of people whose heart may be right with God. Let us all be careful lest we be judged by the same or similar judgment from above. (Matt. 7:1-2; II Cor. 10:7)

The following story is food for thought:

One Sunday morning an old cowboy entered a church just before the services were to begin.

Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a denim shirt and boots that were worn and ragged. In his hand he carried a worn old hat and an equally worn Bible. The church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old cowboy had ever seen. The people of the congregation were all dressed with expensive clothes and accessories.

As the cowboy took a seat, the others moved away from him.

No one greeted him.
They were all appalled at his appearance and did not attempt to hide it.

As the cowboy was leaving the church, the preacher approached him and asked the cowboy to do him a favor.

"Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask Him what He thinks would be appropriate attire for worship."

The old cowboy assured the preacher he would.

The next Sunday, he showed back up for services wearing the same old ragged jeans, shirt, boots, and hat.

Once again he was completely shunned and ignored.

The preacher approached the man and said, "I thought I asked you to speak to God before you came back to our church."

"I did," replied the old cowboy."

"If you spoke to God, what did He tell you the proper attire should be for worshiping in here?" asked the preacher.

"Well, sir, God told me that He didn't have a clue what I should wear. He said He'd never been in 'THIS' church!"

May we never be guilty of God saying that about the congregation where we worship for we will be worshiping Him in vain.