Whenever you look down on a man, you are indirectly looking down on God. He is so in love with mankind that He said whatever you do to them is what you have done to Him.

“Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
Matthew 25:40

You must be careful because you cannot simply tell who a person is from their looks. David looked like an ordinary teenager, but inside him was a giant killer. Goliath paid with his life for looking down on him. Inside some prisoners today are Presidents tomorrow; Joseph is a classic example.

Never look down on anyone because they could be the solution to your challenges. Naaman was very great. He had all he needed but he was leprous. The solution to his leprosy was in Israel, but he did not know until a slave girl told him. If you read the story carefully, you will note that when Naaman was storming off in anger from Elisha’s house, it was his servants who pleaded with him to obey the man of God. As a matter of fact, they referred to him as “father” (2nd Kings 5:13). Naaman listened to them and got his healing.

If he had been wicked to his servants, they wouldn’t have bothered to plead with him, neither would they have been able to call him “father”. The beggar on your street may be the one to help you when no one would be able to. The poor people living next door may provide information required to save you from an impending trouble. Do not look down on anyone.

Many Christians also feel so holy that they don’t want to relate with unbelievers. Yes, we are not to be equally yoked together with them (2nd Corinthians 6:14) but we are not called to be hostile to them either (Luke 6:35). God called us to love, not to hate and snub. There could not have been a more aggressive or harsh enemy of Jesus’ followers than Saul of Tarsus. Yet, once God showed Saul the light and truth, there was never a more devoted, enthusiastic or fearless disciple of Christ. Saul became the Apostle Paul. His life offers a wonderful example of how God sees beyond people’s current status to their potential.

We all have in our own lives Saul-like individuals with Paul-like potentials. Can you imagine how our families, our communities, and the world at large might change if we all tried to see each other as God does?
God hates a proud look (Proverbs 6:16-17).
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.