Judge by Appearance or within?

As I was doing my devotions tonight, I was reminded of something. As humans ,we have certain thins that we are attracted to and certain things that also deter us. These things are often shown about us whether we realize it or not, when it comes to meeting and getting to know new people. Everyone has heard the saying "don't judge a book by its cover." This is so beyond true when it comes to interacting with one another. We often are attracted to people who seem to have the same clothing or living style as us, than theirs people who seem different and instead of reaching out,what do we do? We hide or run from the differences instead of embracing them and trying to get to know the person for who they are. We take our first impressions so personally that we risk the chance of missing out on what could be a great friendship or relationship. God gives us a verse as a reminder about this. "Stop judging according to outward appearance; rather judge according to righteous judgement." This means, rather than judging by outward appearance and possessions, judge someone by their heart and for who they truly are. Instead of seeing what the world sees, try seeing a person how God sees them. The world sees someone from the outside and we as people of God are called to see people from the inside.Think of all the good you could do for yourself and others if you come out of your comfort zone and get to know some "different" people. So next time you run across someone new,try taking off your blind fold and and putting on your heavenly fathers glasses!