It’s tempting to judge people’s motives, but it’s not biblical. The problem is that only God can see the human heart. The only kind of judging that we should be doing is judging other people’s actions. But even then its often difficult to infer why people did something unless they tell you. Instead, Christians are called to use discernment without judging motives and intent. Of course, in criminal proceedings we are usually required to infer intent, but a jury or a court’s judgement isn’t always right. The best they can do is to give an informed opinion. And hopefully if 12 people come to the same conclusion, we lessen the risk of misinterpreting motives, but the chance for error is still there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’m preaching to myself here, because I’ve done this too many times to count, but it’s wrong. It just annoys me when people try to talk to me about my motives when I know my motives better than anyone else. I happen to be an expert on me! Seeing this, I’ve come under conviction that I ought not to do it to others. If you are Christian, it may be difficult to hear this, but we do this more often than we like to admit. So before we attribute evil or wrong motives to someone, we should know the facts first. Instead of assuming evil intent, maybe we should ask the person what they were thinking when they did whatever you may disapprove of. You might not get to the truth, but at least you’ve heard their side of the story, and that can make all the difference in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God” 1 Corinthians 4:5<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do not judge, and you will not be judged.\u00a0Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:47<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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