The best way to avoid making rash and inaccurate evaluations is to actually speak to the person we observed, telling them what we saw and asking them what was meant by it.
I wonder how many relationships would be spared, how many misunderstandings cleared up and how much gossip thwarted by a simple act of love, through opening the two appendages on the front of our face called lips, in the presence of the one we are inclined to judge.
God never said not to judge, He told us to "judge righteously." There is only one way to judge righteously and that is to have all the information necessary to discern a matter.
Many forms of sin are easy to judge, we see it and know that it is bad and that the one doing it is sinning. However there are lots of things we see that look like sin, that may not be at all.
An example of a sin easy to judge is the man who walks into a grocery store and robs it at gun point.
Other activities are not so easy to judge. When we see a woman in a restaurant having dinner with a man not her husband, later only to find out it was her brother. Of course the rational thing to do is walk right up to the table, say hello and introduce yourself. In other words assuming there is nothing wrong. If we are afraid to walk up and introduce ourselves, we have made the judgement that the woman was sinning, without even speaking to her.
I remember a case in the news a few years ago when a man in a car on the freeway appeared to deliberately swerve into the lane next to him, pointing his car at the driver in the lane, causing the victim to have to veer off the road into the ditch. Witnesses reported that it was a deliberate act, assuming he was drunk. Later it was discovered and revealed that the driver had a heart attack, losing control of his car. There was nothing deliberate and no sin involved.
An example of a sin easy to judge is the man who walks into a grocery store and robs it at gun point.
Other activities are not so easy to judge. When we see a woman in a restaurant having dinner with a man not her husband, later only to find out it was her brother. Of course the rational thing to do is walk right up to the table, say hello and introduce yourself. In other words assuming there is nothing wrong. If we are afraid to walk up and introduce ourselves, we have made the judgement that the woman was sinning, without even speaking to her.
I remember a case in the news a few years ago when a man in a car on the freeway appeared to deliberately swerve into the lane next to him, pointing his car at the driver in the lane, causing the victim to have to veer off the road into the ditch. Witnesses reported that it was a deliberate act, assuming he was drunk. Later it was discovered and revealed that the driver had a heart attack, losing control of his car. There was nothing deliberate and no sin involved.
The moral of the story is that we cannot always know if something is sin until we have investigated it, if in fact it is any of our business to begin with. Gossips love to report what they have seen and make "educated" guesses on things after which they enjoy passing on their conclusions.
A truly educated guess is one in which the people involved have investigated all the facets of the event and discovered the truth. One of the violations of these principles are the videos we are seeing on the internet that malign the reputation of a police officer in 5 seconds of video, while foolish viewers shout foul without any more information that that snippet.
It's alright to be curious and even concerned about those we love, we just need to be willing to ask and listen before we jump to unfounded accusations.
Proverbs 14:18 "The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge."
Ephesians 6:14 "Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,"
Proverbs 2:1-3
"The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security
2 My son, if you will receive my words
And treasure my commandments within you,
2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom,
Incline your heart to understanding;
3 For if you cry for discernment,
Lift your voice for understanding;"
Proverbs 2:7-8
"7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 Guarding the paths of justice,
And He preserves the way of His godly ones."
A truly educated guess is one in which the people involved have investigated all the facets of the event and discovered the truth. One of the violations of these principles are the videos we are seeing on the internet that malign the reputation of a police officer in 5 seconds of video, while foolish viewers shout foul without any more information that that snippet.
It's alright to be curious and even concerned about those we love, we just need to be willing to ask and listen before we jump to unfounded accusations.
Proverbs 14:18 "The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge."
Ephesians 6:14 "Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,"
Proverbs 2:1-3
"The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security
2 My son, if you will receive my words
And treasure my commandments within you,
2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom,
Incline your heart to understanding;
3 For if you cry for discernment,
Lift your voice for understanding;"
Proverbs 2:7-8
"7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 Guarding the paths of justice,
And He preserves the way of His godly ones."
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