Monday; August 17

How can we tell what’s in another person’s heart?  Now, I understand the warning about “judging others”, but there comes a point in time when we have to distinguish between good and evil intents.  It might be nice to have some sort of device that we could use to look into someone’s spirit, but we don’t have one, do we – or do we?  The wise man, Solomon, noted, “An evildoer listens to wicked lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.” (Proverbs 17:4).  I understand that there are some good actors out there who can use their dark side to promote their agenda, but for the most part we can assess another person’s intent by considering the outcome.  Are people hoping to see truth come from a situation?  Are people looking to promote what is best for others?  If things like these are their rationale, there is a pretty good chance they are approaching something with positive motives.  If they are looking to harm or discredit others, we’d better look at their motivations more closely.

I guess there is no 100% guarantee we can assess what is in someone else’s heart, but if we apply some wisdom we can avoid a lot of ulterior motives.  What are people trying to spread – unless it goodness and good will, let’s be cautious.

Think About It!

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