John 7:24 (Jesus) Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Recently, the death of singer Whitney Houston has brought a Tsunami of opinions to the media, over how she had lived her life, and what caused her early death. A well known fact of Miss Houston’s past is that she grew up in the church and professed faith in Jesus Christ at a very early age.
The pressures and temptations in the life of a famous person is often more than many can bear. A once fervent love for God can very quickly be lost in the midst of the riches and glamour of someone with such great talent and public acclaim.
For many who write on the passing of Whitney Houston, they assume that because the last song she sang was “Yes Jesus loves me…” that this is a clear sign that she still loved the Lord. I am certainly in the same crowd that hopes and prays that this is true. The fact that Jesus loves Whitney is not really the issue. The question is whether Whitney really loved Jesus?
Claiming to know Jesus or be a Christian is not the real test for whether or not a person is saved. It is instead, a lifetime that is consistently lived for the Lord, that proves that a person has come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
We also cannot assume that Whitney was lost upon her death, after so many years of drug use, and a visible life that is the opposite of what a follower of Jesus should be like.
Remember that on the cross next to Jesus, there was a man who was dying for his crimes and sins. At the last moment of his life, as he called on Jesus to “Remember me”, the Lord assured him that by his profession of faith, that day he would be in paradise with Jesus.
Luke 23:42-43 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
The Lord is extremely merciful and gracious and loves to pardon sinners, at any stage of their life. Even at the final moment of a life, Jesus will cleanse a person’s sin and give them eternal life, if they will fall upon Jesus for mercy.
We often make these kinds of false assumptions about people, because we believe that we know them by their outward behavior. We don’t.
I have been a victim myself of false assumptions and have had many treasured friends abandon me, because of false assumptions. The facts being unknown, those who claimed to be friends, listened to the gossip and theories of others and ceased to be my friends, without ever talking to me. After dealing with the terrible pain of feeling misunderstood and abandoned, I realized that this is the way that people are in the world, especially those who claim to be Christians.
Those who claim to follow Jesus are often quick to assume, spread gossip that is told them, and love to listen to stories from those who sow seeds of discord. The church of the last days in rampant with unfaithful people who destroy the reputations of others by their remarks and assumptions.
If there was a list of goals for we who love Jesus, that we should seek to accomplish during our short stay here on earth, it would include the ceasing of assuming anything, before the Lord reveals it to us completely. Since we do not really know what is going on inside a person’s heart or mind, we should never assume that we do. The interesting thing about time is that is affords us the opportunity to observe something and see the final result. Better to wait and see, than to quickly assume and make judgments before sufficient time has been given.
Jesus warned us to not judge by outward appearance, but by righteous judgment. We cannot know the truth of any given situation simply by what someone tells us, or by the first appearance of what we see or hear. Righteous judgment can only be exercised if we wait and see, observe what is true as we give time to evaluate a person or a situation. We should withhold all judgment and comments until we have given weeks, months or even years to see what the truth is. This is true wisdom, and often overlooked, seldom taught, nevertheless crucial to the health of Jesus church in these final days before He comes for us.
Rob Robinson
