Roughly draw conclusions

“Do not judge others, then you will not be judged either! Do not judge anybody, then you will not be judged either! If you are ready to forgive others, then you too will be forgiven ”(Luke 6:37, Hope for All).

In the children's service was taught about right and wrong. The caregiver asked, "If I take the wallet out of the pocket of the jacket with all the money for a man, what am I then?" Little Tom raised his hand and smiled mischievously and blurted out, "Then you are his wife!"

Would you, like me, have expected "a thief" in response? Sometimes we need some more information before we can decide one thing. Proverbs 18, 13 warns: "Anyone who answers before he even listens shows his stupidity and makes himself ridiculous."

We have to be aware that we know all the facts and they have to be correct. Matthew 18, 16 mentions that one thing has to be confirmed by two or three witnesses, so both sides have to speak.

Even though we have collected all the facts, we should not consider this undeniable.

Let's remember 1. Samuel 16: 7: "A man sees what is in front of his eyes, but the Lord looks at the heart." We should also think of Matthew 7: 2: "... with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged ..."

Even facts can lead to wrong conclusions. Circumstances are not always what we estimate at the beginning, as the little story at the beginning shows us. If we conclude prematurely, we will easily embarrass ourselves and possibly inflict injustice and injury on others.

Prayer: Help us not to jump to conclusions, Father in Heaven, but to make righteous and right decisions, to show mercy and not to be above all doubt, Amen.

by Nancy Silsox, England


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