First impressions

Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. —  John 7:24

Awhile back, Our Daily Bread published an article I wrote about a young woman who wore a T-shirt that said, “Love Is for Losers.” In it, I commented on what a sad message that was, and I wrote about the hurt this motto represented.

To my surprise, one of our readers gave that message a completely different slant. She sent a note informing me that her daughter and her daughter’s friend  all tennis players  wear shirts with that slogan. In tennis, a “love” score is zero. If your score in a game is “love,” you lose  so in tennis, love really is for losers. That mom’s note gave me a new perspective on that saying.

This incident reminded me how easy it is to make wrong first judgments. Based on incomplete or inaccurate information, we can jump to wrong conclusions and make poor value judgments about people and situations. And that can cause great hurt to others.

Speaking to people who had misjudged Him, Jesus warned “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). We need to be careful that our judgments are backed up by the right information (the truth) and the right attitude (the compassion of Christ). Try this motto: “Righteous judgment is for winners”. — Bill Crowder

Don’t judge too quickly what you see;

Treat lightly first impression;

Misunderstandings multiply

Without right information.     — Sper

READ: John 7:14-24

A snap judgment has a way of becoming unfastened.

The Bible in one year:

• Jeremiah 1-2 • 1 Timothy 3