First Corinthians 13:7
[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
The Benefit of the Doubt
There was a true story of a new pastor
who went to visit a prospective church member who lived next door to a
bar. The apartment that the man lived in shared a hallway and entrance
to a bar. One day the new pastor went into the apartment through the bar
entrance and visited the man in the upstairs apartment. A couple of
ladies who were home were watching outside their apartment window and
saw the pastor go inside. An hour or so later, they saw him come out of
the bar and apartment door entrance, but he was having a hard time
walking. The women thought that the new pastor had just gone into the
bar and was drunk when he came out and told others about this. When the
story got back to the pastor, who was asked to explain himself, he said
that he had just visited a prospective new church member in his
apartment, but when he came downstairs, he turned his ankle and couldn’t
walk very well. No one had given the new pastor the benefit of the
doubt and thought the worst when that was not the case at all. In fact,
he was doing what he was called to do. First Corinthians 13:7 says that
love “believes all things,” which I believe means that love gives people
the benefit of the doubt, something that the new pastor didn’t get.
The Deacon’s Incident
There was a revival years ago when an
elderly man came forward and knelt at the altar. The deacon went over to
the man, took a pack of cigarettes out of the man’s pocket, crumpled
it up, and threw it on the floor. The deacon said, “Not in here you
don’t,” apparently meaning that no one who came forward in their desire
to be saved could do so while still a smoker. The pastor saw that,
went up to the man, and gave him five dollars, saying, “Here, I’m so
sorry. Do you want to put your trust in Christ and be saved?”
Fortunately, the elderly man said yes, and he trusted in Christ right
there. What if the pastor hadn’t stepped in at that moment? Would the
man have left the church, never to return again? Would he have rejected
Christianity for good believing that Christians are way too judgmental?
Fortunately, we’ll never know. Every one of us is in a different stage
of living the Christian life, and sanctification takes time. The deacon
should have given the man the benefit of the doubt. Remember that love
is patient and kind (1 Cor. 13:4).
Never Getting a Second Chance
These two incidents involved people
getting the wrong impression of someone, and they were completely wrong.
Do you think you have ever done this before? I know I have, although
not in the same ways that I mentioned above. Even so, I know I’ve looked
at someone and judged them falsely. I once was hesitant to go up to a
biker and share the Gospel with him, thinking he’d likely reject me on
the spot. I finally did go, and I found out that he was already saved! I
had the wrong impression, and it almost kept me from telling someone
about Christ. What about you? When was your impression of someone
completely wrong? Do you think that has happened at other times you are
not aware of? Speaking for myself, I must say yes; God, forgive me of
that. I will never try to do that again because we may never get a
second chance to make a good first impression.
A Closing Prayer
Father, only You know the human heart. I
do not. Please forgive me when I look at someone and judge them
wrongly. Help me to see them the way that You see them and not make
false assumptions or pass judgment by sight, and I need Your Spirit’s
help in doing this. In Christ’s righteous name I pray.
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