two more reasons why it is wrong to judge others…

here are a couple more reasons why it is wrong to judge other people…

it’s wrong to judge others when you draw conclusions based on outward appearance. 

in john 7.24 (niv) JESUS says, stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.

we tend to make our impression of people in about 15 seconds and most of that is in the way that they look.  we judge people, we size them up, by their face, clothing, hairdo.  if you judge just on the basis of appearance, that’s unwise.

1 samuel 16.7 (niv).  samuel said this when he chose david, the runt of the family to be king of israel.  others were saying, “not david!  that scrawny kid!  he’s nothing.  the other brothers are the sharp ones!”  but samuel said, GOD doesn’t look at the appearance.  GOD looks at the heart.

and then it’s wrong to judge when you condemn somebody before you hear the facts.

john 7.50 (niv), nicodemus who had gone to JESUS earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, (talking to the sanhedrin) “does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?”

that’s a rhetorical question.  the obvious answer is, “no”.  it’s wrong to judge when you condemn somebody before you hear the facts.  if you study scripture you’ll find that even if your conclusions are right about that person you’re still wrong – because you did it without getting the facts.  there is always more than one side of a story.  there are three sides to a story: your side, their side, GOD’s side.  usually we have partial truth.

just a thought from the front porch…

what faith is not..

romans 4.19-20a (niv), without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead... and sarah's womb was also dead.  yet he didn't waver with unbelief. 

abraham's 99 years old, GOD says he’s going to have a child.  there is a medical impossibility here.  they are beyond the childbearing years.  yet the bible says he faced the fact and yet didn't waver in belief. 

faith is not denying reality.   it’s not pretending you don’t have a problem.  that’s not faith, that’s denial.  faith is not saying, “i’m not in pain” when you are.  it’s not saying, “i don’t hurt” when you do.  it’s not saying, “i’m happy” when you’re really grieving inside.  that’s not faith, that’s phoniness. 

GOD says, “I want to work in your life according to faith.”  faith is facing the facts without being discouraged by them – being able to look at the problem and say, “yes that’s a problem in my life but i’m not discouraged by it, because i know GOD is greater than the problem.” 

there is a brand of CHRISTianity today that basically says, “deny all of your problems.  just have a positive confession.  name it and claim it.”  that kind of thinking did not come from JESUS.  that’s pollyanna.  pollyanna is not exactly a good theologian. 

faith is not denying reality.  faith is facing reality without being discouraged by it.  you know that GOD can change a situation.  you can build a family on faith but you can’t build it on fantasy.  you can build a business on faith but not on fantasy.  you can build a life on faith but not on fantasy. 

the key is to look beyond your circumstances.  2 corinthians 4.18 (niv),  we fix our eyes on what is unseen.  for what is seen is temporary [the problem], but what is unseen [GOD’s power] is eternal.

if you look at the world you're going to be distressed.  there are major it seems insurmountable problems in the world.  if you look within you're going to be depressed, because there are a lot of things that need changing in your life.  but if you look at JESUS CHRIST you’ll be at rest.  it all depends on what you have your eyes on. 

circumstances are like a mattress.  you get on top; you rest easy.  you get underneath; you suffocate.  when you start looking at your problem, you’re sunk.  if you look at CHRIST beyond your problem, look at your deliverer rather than the difficulty, you'll make it. 

just a thought from the front porch…

faith, fact and advice…

so how do you make wise decisions?  pray for guidance and then get the facts.

there is no contradiction between faith and fact, finding out all you can before you make a decision.  proverbs 13.16 (niv), every prudent man acts out of knowledge.  get the facts.  how stupid to decide before knowing the facts!  proverbs 18.13 (tlb). 

ninety percent of all new businesses fail within the first year.  and of those that make it, 90% fail within the next five years.  why?  they’re based on what could be called, uneducated enthusiasm.  they’ve got a great idea but they don’t get the facts.  that’s why a lot of marriages fail – they are based on uneducated enthusiasm – love. 

ask:  what do i need to know before i make this decision? 

also ask for advice.  talk to somebody who’s made a similar decision, talk to friends who know your weaknesses, ask for advice.  proverbs 24.6 (tev), the more good advice you get, the more likely you are to win. 

henry ford, founder of ford motor company, was asked, “what's the secret of success.”  he said experience?  how do you get experience?  he said, “from making stupid decisions.”

it is wise to learn from experience, but it is wiser to learn from the experience of others.  ask for advice.  i don’t have time to learn everything from personal experience.  i don’t have time to make all the mistakes in life and you don’t either.  life is too short to learn everything by trial and error.  i don’t have to look at certain sins and know they’re bad for me, i can see the results in other people’s lives.  you can learn from others’ successes and you can learn from others’ failures.  if you’re wise, you don’t try to learn everything first hand, you learn from the experiences of others.  the bible says that we’re given these stories in the bible that we can learn from and grow.  you learn to ask for advice.

the bible says, get good advice and you will succeed.  proverbs 20.18 (tev). 

now the problem is that we would rather appear wise than be wise.  we think if we ask we’ll look like a dunce.  but it’s more important to be wise than appear wise.  the bible says, wise people ask for advice. 

if you can’t ask for advice you’ve got an ego problem.  the bible says, arrogant people are stupid.  they are stupid because they're unwilling to be teachable.  if you can’t learn you’ll never succeed in life.  all of us are ignorant, just on different subjects.  that’s why we need to ask each other and help each other out.  the bible says, wisdom and humility go together. 

ask:  what kind of advice do i need to make this decision?

just a thought from the front porch…