WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2024
TOPIC: DON’T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS (3)
BY T. O. BANSO
“Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness” (Ecclesiastes 10:13 New Living Translation).
Our focus in the past two days has been on the examples of jumping to conclusions in the Bible. We have seen Eli’s wrong conclusion about Hannah, Joshua’s wrong conclusion, the wrong conclusion by the tribes of Israel, Saul’s wrong conclusion about David, the Ammonites’ wrong conclusion about David, and Job’s friends’ wrong conclusion about him.
We have also seen Jesus’ disciples’ wrong conclusion about the man born blind, the Pharisees’ conclusion that Jesus was a sinner for healing on the Sabbath, and the believers accused of being drunk on the Day of Pentecost. You must avoid jumping to conclusions. In other words, don’t “come to a conclusion prematurely, without sufficient thought or on incomplete evidence” (Collins English Dictionary).
Today’s devotional looks at how to avoid jumping to conclusions.
How to avoid jumping to conclusions
1. Don’t judge by appearance. “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24 New King James Version). The Prophet Samuel was almost deceived by judging according to appearance in the house of Jesse. “So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!’” (1 Samuel 16:6 New King James Version).
Samuel did not ask the Spirit of God if Eliab was the king. He must have seen some physical attributes that suggested that Eliab was the one to be anointed king but God said no. “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”(1 Samuel 16:7 New King James Version).
God rejected all Jesse’s children in attendance. The right candidate for the kingship was not invited to the meeting. Jesse had to send for David, his youngest child, when Samuel asked if those rejected as king were all his children. Don’t judge by appearance.
Prophesying the reign of Jesse’s offspring, Jesus, Isaiah said, among other things, “He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay” (Isaiah 11:3 New Living Translation). You, too, should not judge by appearance or make decisions by hearsay.
2. Don’t live in suspicion. Beware of habitual suspicion. Don’t live your life suspecting others and reading meanings to their actions. Don’t go about suspecting people or their actions; pray and listen to the Holy Spirit. Let the Holy Spirit lead you. God doesn’t lead us by suspicion but His Spirit. Differentiate between the voice of the Holy Spirit and mere suspicion. Discernment is different from suspicion. Suspicion destroys relationships.
Matthew 9:4 says Jesus knew the thoughts of the scribes. That was not suspicion. Jesus was correct each time the Bible says He knew or perceived the thoughts of those referred to (Luke 5:22; 6:8;11:17; 9:46-47; Matthew 12:25; John 6:61; 16:19; Matthew 16:7-8; Mark 8:16-17). In Mark 2:8, the Bible says, “But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, ‘Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?’” (New King James Version). Jesus perceived in His spirit. Listen to what the Holy Spirit is communicating to your spirit. All that glitters is not gold.
3. Let the Word of God guide you. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (New King James Version). Any decision, action, or reaction, contrary to the Word of God will be a sin. Psalm 119:67 says, “I used to wander off until you punished me; now I closely follow all you say” (Living Bible).
Closely follow the Word of God. This saved Nehemiah from being discredited; he refused to follow the counsel of a hired prophet, Shemaiah, to hide in the temple so that he would not be killed. But his real intention was to make him sin and discredit him. “Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was a secret informer; and he said, ‘Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, at night they will come to kill you.’ And I said, ‘Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!’ Then I perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. For this reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me” (Nehemiah 6:10-13 New King James Version). Nehemiah would have sinned if he had gone to hide in the temple because he wasn’t a priest (Numbers 18:22).
Nehemiah said: “Then I perceived that God had not sent him at all.” When a prophet contradicts the written Word of God, know that God has not sent him. Don’t conclude that God sent someone because he claims to speak for Him. Let the Word of God guide your decisions, actions, or reactions.
4. Give everybody the benefit of the doubt. Keep an open mind; don’t make conclusions based on your observations, what you’ve been told, etc. until you have sufficient evidence. That’s how you want people to treat you, too. The Bible says, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (New International Version). Don’t believe what people say about others or something until you have sufficient proof. Don’t judge a matter without giving the parties involved a fair hearing. Proverbs 20:8 says, “When a king sits in judgment, he weighs all the evidence, distinguishing the bad from the good” (New Living Translation).
5. Evaluate the information or evidence you want to rely on for your conclusions. Ecclesiastes 10:13 says, “Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness” (New Living Translation). Since you’re not a fool, ask useful questions to be sure your premises are not foolish. Don’t let anyone mislead you. Not everything people tell you is true. Some people make false allegations against others. Don’t jump to conclusions.
6. If you’re uncertain, seek clarifications from the persons concerned or investigate the issue. This is better than trying to read other people’s minds or engaging in guesswork that may be wrong. Don’t assume. Don’t be quick to judge others. That was the problem with Job’s friends. They wrongly concluded that he had sinned and condemned him but Job declared his innocence. Matthew 7:1-2 says, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (New King James Version).
7. Be patient. Don’t be quick to act or speak. “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19 New King James Version). Patience is an invaluable virtue. Good communication starts with the ability to listen. “Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent” (Proverbs 17:28 New Living Translation). Don’t jump to conclusions. If you rush to make conclusions, you will most probably be wrong.
Conclusion: Don’t jump to conclusions. Learn from the Bible examples discussed in the previous devotionals on this topic. Act on today’s devotional and avoid jumping to conclusions.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. Take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Holy Spirit, help me not judge by appearance but to gather, study, and evaluate the facts. Let me not rush to make conclusions. Help me give others the benefit of the doubt and not believe any allegation or report against them without investigation.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
