Our Daily Bread: Unity in JesusSample

We’re All the Same

By faith . . . Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. -Hebrews 11:31

One evening at a fast-food restaurant, my four-year-old nephew and I were looking for a table. There was one beside a group of tough-looking men, but their appearance and raucous laughter made me hesitate. Since there was no other table, however, Caleb and I sat beside them.

Minutes later, the men bowed their heads and prayed, then brought out Bibles. They were a Bible study group!

The discovery filled me with shame. I’d seen the men as unsafe. But God showed me how prejudiced I was toward them.

This experience made me think of people God used for His kingdom, people many of us would perhaps view with prejudice. One such person was Rahab. The two Israelite spies chose to hide in her home (Joshua 2:1)—a surprising choice given her occupation.

Yet, because of Rahab’s faith in God (vv. 9−11), she and her family were “not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God” (Hebrews 11:31). Not only that, but the former prostitute from Canaan became an ancestor of Jesus Himself (Matthew 1:5).

Rahab’s story—and my experience—reminds me that God sees people differently. In His eyes, we’re all the same—sinners in need of His grace. And when we respond in faith to Him, He can use us for His glory, no matter what our past might be.

Karen Huang

What prejudices might you have against others? How can you change your thoughts and attitudes with God's help?

Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the times I’ve been prejudiced against others.