James 2:1-5 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2) For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3) And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4) Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5) Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

As many of you know, I have been in Sales for a little while now. When I was new in Sales, I needed to watch other Sales people to learn how to sell. There are many techniques used to convince someone to buy a product or service from you. But, one thing you never want to do, is to judge the person you are selling to by their outward appearance. I tried very hard to always treat every customer the same, no matter how poor or successful they looked. It will amaze you to take your time talking to a customer that looks like they couldn’t afford to buy their next meal, only to have them buy a vehicle that costs as much as the house you bought with no problem. In reverse, it shocks you when you take that same amount of time dealing with a customer that appears they could buy the most expensive vehicle on the lot, to leave without because they have been rejected in every attempt they make.

I was raised by parents that tried very hard to judge a person on their character, not by their appearance. We try very hard with our children to teach them the same way.

These words in James, are addressed to the church, but need to be applied to every area of our lives. Acts 10:34 says “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, “of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:” God does not consider our rank in life, our achievements, or our money and possessions as making us better than another person. And we, whether in the church or out, should not either.

It would be a terrible shame and injustice for that person poor in appearance, poor in wealth, or low in spirit to miss out on a wonderful blessing because we chose to treat them as a lesser person because of their appearance. It would also be a real shame to miss out on our own blessing for having passed over someone like that in favor of someone that appears to be wealthier, or more well dressed.

Be humble, stay humble, remember those times when you were the one wearing the shabby clothes. Remember those times when you were the one with no friends around. Remember those times when you were the one struggling financially, had the broke down vehicle, ate noodles and cheap things, because that was all you could afford, or whatever circumstance had you down and low at the time. Keep those things to remind you that we have all been there at some time or another, and enjoy the time you spend with that person that appears to have nothing. Some people will only do things or deal with people that appear as though they may gain something from that person, whether it is the next sale, or a good reference, or whatever. But, you’ll be surprised at how much more rewarding it is to gain the respect of that “lesser” appearing person because you took the time to deal with them as well and equally as the “wealthier” appearing person.

I spent some time one day with an older gentleman that was looking at some vehicles. He was driving an old car, that didn’t seem to run well, was pretty rough overall. His clothes were quite worn. I showed him several cars that day. I took the time to give as much detail as I could on each one, showing him the features of each one, answering his questions. A couple of other customers came to the lot while I was helping him that other sales people helped. They may have even bought vehicles that day. This man did not appear to be able to afford a cup of coffee, let a lone a several thousand dollar vehicle. When we were finished, he didn’t buy a car, but he looked at me and asked why I had spent so much time helping him when he didn’t look like someone that could even afford to look. I told him that was how I was raised, to treat people equally. He thanked me for my time and seemed to leave a happy man. Maybe that time I spent with him that day was more valuable to him than any vehicle on the lot.