But Jesus would not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for He knew what was in each person. ~John 2:25 (NIV)
We get out of balance when we put our trust in people instead of putting our trust in God. People aren’t perfect and they will disappoint us if we give too much of ourselves or allow them to have authority in our lives that only belongs to God. To follow God’s will is to follow God, not man. The words from John’s gospel serve as an appropriate warning to us. He was speaking of the relationship Jesus maintained with His own beloved disciples. Jesus knew how much—and how little—He could trust even those who were closest to Him. He understood human nature—something all of us have. That does not mean He pushed them away, He just understood that their capabilities were directly proportioned to their revelation and understanding of God and His will. Misconceptions and misinterpretations of actions tend to cause us to think we know what others are thinking, but only Jesus knows the heart of another. He is the only one able to have an accurate perspective of why someone does what they do or says what they say. When we allow ourselves to judge anyone or any situation with our own limited perspective, we walk on very thin ice so to speak. All we believe can come crashing down around us because we are not God. We are called to love and accept each other without judgement but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to be cautious of an enemy that comes against our mind daily. Scripture says we do not fight against flesh and blood, our enemies are powers and principalities. The negative thoughts we have when we witness the actions and words of others are not produced by those actions and words but by the enemy coming against our minds.
Jesus knew that we would need discernment about trusting Him when it came to walking with others in love, so He sent His Holy Spirit to guide us and to let us know what He expected. Have you ever trusted someone and watched their "human nature" cause you to be disappointed? We all have. But we have to be careful not to let it cause us to operate in criticism or even suspicion. That is exactly what the enemy wants us to do because a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Discord is the order of the day from the powers and principalities coming against believers. Discord is what keeps us from taking ground from the devil by walking in love. Being critical and suspicious is a result of fear. It holds us to our past and keeps us looking backward. Discernment enables us to move forward in love and trust God despite what others are capable of. God’s Holy Spirit helps us cultivate the gift of discernment and He tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:10 to “earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts . . .” (NIV) We need discernment to help guide us in our walk with others daily. There is a line where our trust and commitment must be reserved for the Lord alone but that does not give us the right to not walk in love towards anybody and everybody. We are called to love others and trust God, if we don’t do it that way, we place ourselves in a situation to be very disappointed—for no human can live up to perfection, much less our expectations. Maintain order by ruling your life with discernment. Cast down imaginations that create discord. Earnestly desire and zealously cultivate discernment and it will keep you in balance with both God and man.
A ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order. ~Proverbs 28:2 (NIV)
Has someone’s “human nature" ever caused you to be disappointed?
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