Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole (duty) of man. (Eccl 12:13 NIV) Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."

(John 7:24 NIV)

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. (Proverbs 18:13 NKJV)

There are likely many more scriptures that I can list here with this topic, but, for the sake of time and space, I will only list these 4 scriptures. We live in what some have called a "microwave" society. We want our news fast. We want our food fast. Movies are shorter than they used to be. Most popular books have been made into movies. Everything must be quick and entertaining.

This microwave era has also led us into an age where judgments are made quickly. Many of us watch the news and are moved by whoever has the best sound bite. By now, most of us are familiar with the case of the Federal worker who was fired from her job due to a speech, that she made, being broadcast. The clip was judged apart from the larger speech and supporting facts. Judgments were swift and definitive and decisions made that were sure and unambiguous. They were also wrong! I don't want to talk politics/race or any of those other related issues here, but, I do want to use this national story as a teachable moment. People are dismissed or accepted based on snap judgments, superficial assessments, and rash/emotion based reasoning. The scriptures urge the exact opposite.

Solomon spent the whole book of Ecclesiastes building to his conclusion, in our first scripture. Jesus urged the Jews, in the temple, to take a deeper look before rendering a judgment, in our second one. James urged men to listen more than talk and not take to anger, in a rash manner, in our third one. Solomon simply reminded men that it was foolish to make a decision without the facts, in our final one.

Taken together, the Bible requires us to reject the ways of the microwave world and to take our time before making judgments. This is wise whether we are making a judgment about a person, place, thing, or practice. I hope, as we deal with one another, co-workers, family, spouses, bosses, employees, situations, and decisions, that we remember to take our time before making a decision.

Measure twice and cut once! In other words, get the whole story!

Bro Eli