“JUDGE NOT ACCORDING TO THE APPEARANCE”

MEMORIZE: Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. John 7:24

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Amos 1- 3, Proverbs 29

What does it mean to judge? According to Merriam- Webster dictionary, to judge means to form an opinion about (something or someone) after careful thought or to regard (someone) as either good or bad. John 7:24 says this: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” Don’t base your opinion about someone on appearance only. Why? There are people who are pure outwardly but inwardly they are rotten. For instance, the daughters of Lot. They came across as good, well mannered girls with decent upbringing. The bible even records in Genesis 19:8 that they were yet to know a man. For a lady to keep herself in a city like Sodom and Gomorrah, you would think that they are angels. By the time we get to Genesis 19:30-38, we see these girls arranging to make their father drunk so as to lie with him and make babies. Their excuse was “our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth” (Genesis 19:31). Do you know these innocent looking girls made their father drunk and lay with him to have babies? Although they were virgins - pure outwardly, inwardly they were rotten and wicked. Another reason why you can’t judge by appearance alone is that, there are people who only clean the outside and live the inside dirty. A typical example of these set of people are the Pharisees. All they talk about is the outward appearance whilst neglecting the inward parts. They walk like saints but deep inside they are wicked. This is what Jesus had to say about them, “woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchers which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones , and of all uncleanness” ( Matthew 23:27). Another reason why you must not judge by appearance is because there a lot of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Jesus said, “beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

This brings us to the question, what and what are we to base our opinion about someone on? Or how can we judge righteously? Firstly, base your opinion about people on the fruits they are producing. Matthew 7:16 says this: “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” You can only tell a tree by fruits not its branches or leaves. If someone calls himself a Christian and he is inviting you to late night parties, you know that one is not a genuine Christian. If someone calls himself a prophet and he is committing adultery, you know that one is an adulterer not a prophet of God. Might I ask, what type of fruit are you producing? Is it bitterness? Resentment? Hatred? Envy? Jealousy? Back biting? Or the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)? Secondly, base your opinion about people on their words. Thank God for the Spirit of God inside us. The moment a fellow says something and it is not right, you sense it in your spirit that something is not right. Luke 6:45 says this: “ a good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” Many say things that are not befitting for a believer and claim that they were only joking. Proverbs 4:23 says, “keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” The content of the heart flows out through the mouth. No matter how much people pretend one way or the other their words always give them away. This is why you must listen carefully to people when they talk.

ACTION: Watch out for wolves in sheep's clothing. Remember, only the spirit of God can help you detect them.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me the gift of discernment.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.