By Amber Gieseler
Faith Bible Baptist Church
Lapeer, MI
Do you ever find yourself avoiding someone at church? How about ignoring a call? I have been there. I often find myself looking for the nearest exit sign when I see “that person” coming my way. I have fallen victim many times to forming a premature opinion about someone without allowing adequate time to get to know that person. On several occasions, when I have taken the time to get to know someone who was a little different than I am, I have learned something very valuable about the individual.
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God convicts me often in this area of my life. To help me, I have found several stories in the Bible of Jesus’ finding the good in others. One of my favorite examples is the story of Rahab, the harlot, found in Joshua 2:1-24. Most people would judge Rahab because of her lifestyle. God looked past Rahab’s sin and used her to hide the spies. He saw so much potential in her that He chose to place her in the lineage of His Son, Jesus Christ, found in the first chapter of Matthew.
3 GUIDELINES TO HELP US FIND GOOD IN OTHERS
1. Pray and ask God to help me see them clearly. The majority of the time our view is distorted because our pride and selfishness get in the way. We will never see them as God sees them until we are humble and have a willingness to serve them as Jesus Christ did (Philippians 2:4-8a).
2. Pray for them. I heard a preacher once say, “You will never criticize those for whom you truly pray.” I find this to be true in my life. When you sincerely pray for someone, your heart starts to become knit to theirs (James 5:16b).
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3. Realize God created each one of us exactly how He wants us (Psalm 139:14). He has given each of us a different personality, different talents, different likes and dislikes to fulfill the separate calling He has for each one of us. So the next time “that person” doesn’t act, look, or talk the way you think he should, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you see him through His eyes. Proverbs 23:26, “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.”
