HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 192
page A190
Judging Others continued
• J O B 5 :2 7 ; 3 8 :4 | “We have studied life and found all this to be true. Listen to my counsel,
and apply it to yourself. . . . Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?”
Don’t assume that you have all the answers, for you do not even understand all the questions. Only God knows everything.
• J O H N 6 :5 -7 | Turning to Philip, [Jesus] asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all
these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. Philip
replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”
Don’t assume your problems don’t have solutions, for God knows the solution before your
problems arise.
• 1 C H R O NI C L E S 1 9 :2 -3 | David said, “I am going to show loyalty to Hanun because his
father, Nahash, was always loyal to me.” So David sent messengers. . . . But when David’s
ambassadors arrived in the land of Ammon, the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun,
“Do you really think these men are coming here to honor your father? No! David has sent
them to spy out the land so they can come in and conquer it!”
Don’t assume the worst in others; you may miss out when they want to give their best
to you.
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HelpFinder
• J O S H U A 2 2 :1 1 -1 6 , 2 1 -2 4 | The rest of Israel heard that the people of Reuben, Gad, and
the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar at Geliloth. . . . So the whole community
of Israel gathered at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against them. First, however,
they sent a delegation . . . to talk with the tribes. . . . When they arrived in the land of
Gilead, they said . . . “The whole community of the Lord demands to know why you are
betraying the God of Israel. . . . Then the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of
Manasseh answered . . . We have not built the altar in treacherous rebellion against the
Lord. . . . The truth is . . .”
Don’t immediately assume that someone else is wrong; you may not have all the facts and
it may be you who are wrong instead.
• J O H N 3 :8 | “Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is
going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
• A C T S 1 0 :3 4 -3 5 | Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In
every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.”
• A C T S 1 6 :2 7 -3 0 | The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the
prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him,
“Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights and ran to the
dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and
asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Don’t assume that someone won’t respond to the gospel. In God’s hands, the worst sinner
can become the mightiest Christian leader.
What does God think of judging others?
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 4 :5 | So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before
the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private
motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.
Be very slow to judge others, because only God is capable of judging perfectly every time.
Once you’ve formed an opinion about someone, it’s difficult to change it. If you’ve incorrectly formed a bad opinion about someone, you may think negatively about that person
for years, damaging the possibility of any relationship.
• R O MA NS 2 :1 | You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad,
and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are
condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.
When you condemn others for their sin, God sees your hypocrisy if you haven’t first carefully considered your own sins.
• J E R E MI A H 4 8 :2 7 | “Did you not ridicule the people of Israel?”