John 7:24

“So stop making snap judgments on the basis of what you want to see,” Jesus sums it up. “Make the correct judgment even if it does not match up with what you want the judgment to be.” John 7:24 EFP 

The more I become acquainted with Scripture, the more I discover this recurring theme.  “Stop judging by appearances.”  It seems so simple and basic. Jesus does not simply say, “Do not judge” on this occasion as he states in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:1).  Here he challenges the self-proclaimed jury not to judge on appearances—on what they see, but on what is right. That is a much higher standard.

We are all guilty of judging on the basis of our understanding of truth, and using that as measure of ultimate truth. These two are not the same. We see things through our eyes and our mind. Others may see the same information and arrive at a different place. I am learning to depend a lot more on the Holy Spirit to guide me, while stopping short of judging another person’s “Spirit” as inferior to the Spirit that guides me. It is the fruit God produces in my life that will be the ultimate evidence to the source of the Spirit that guides and informs me. True Christianity is imbued with humility. It must be. God is at work in places and moments I have not imagined yet. He is God! I am not. Period.