1 Corinthians 4
5 So don’t get ahead of the Master and jump to conclusions with your judgments before all the evidence is in. When he comes, he will bring out in the open and place in evidence all kinds of things we never even dreamed of—inner motives and purposes and prayers. Only then will any one of us get to hear the “Well done!” of God.
Paul warns the Corinthians and us today not to jump to conclusions when we judge someone else. No one knows the heart and desires of another. The Biblical stories that come to my mind are the reports of men who came to king David to tell him about the death of Saul. They thought they would receive a reward for bringing what they thought was good news. They thought Saul was David’s enemy because of how Saul chased David and tried to kill him. Despite all the political intrigue surrounding the journey to kingship by David, there were other themes as Saul was the father of David’s beloved friend Jonathan. Saul was someone David considered in power by the will of God and so not to be tampered with. The reporters did not understand David’s value system. We say many things with our mouths but when our back is to the wall and if we were to fully reveal our thinking, often our conclusion does not match our words. We might be afraid to say which candidate we are voting for because we don’t want to be laughed at or argued with. We might share gossip to gain status. We have sayings like, “if the truth were told…’. I find it helpful to remember, “(Matthew 7:2) 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Let our prayer today be that we are not hasty to judge, to see the faults in others while forgetting our own short coming, or to jump to conclusions before we hear all sides of the story. “Time will tell,” “history will give us perspective,” and ultimately only God knows everyone’s heart. Lord, help me be humble.
On the Way to Wonder 