Don't jump - part two

Hey,
Thanks to everyone who has been in prayer for my health and recovery. The past three weeks have been a battle for me but i feel I am on the mend finally.

In my last post I started a series on discipling others called "Don't Jump". Part one focused on the importance of not jumping over the edge with those you are helping. Check the last post for more.
Part two is Don't jump to conclusions. Jesus was sitting at the well talking to a Samaritan woman. She was sizing him up with various questions but Jesus already knew her entire life story. He knew what she had done, where she was now and what she would do in the future. It's funny how we often think we are Jesus. We meet people and size them up based on their dress or speech or demeanor. We think we know who is worthy of our time and who is a waste of time.
You and I are not like Jesus in this story we are more like the Samaritan woman. We make small talk and try to figure out what the other person is about; who they really are. We assume one thing and then we find out something totally different. Only God knows the heart of individuals and only He can see the true need and the true potential inside.

So where does that leave us? We must learn to base our discipling on the guidance of the Holy Spirit and not on our knowledge of body language or their criminal record. Make discipling a matter of prayer. That means pray for that person and pray for God to lead you in how you help that person. Put God back in the driver's seat and obey what He tells you. Follow His leading. You will find that the closer you are to God the easier it is to help others. Your spirit is softer and more compassionate. Your patience is greater and your actions accomplish more because they are not your ideas, they are God's.

When helping others develop in Christ it is easy to Judge a book by it's cover, or it's past, or it's current condition but we are not able to see the whole picture. You never know what God will do through a human, only God knows. There are many people that I have pronounced as useless who have become powerful men and women of God; people I would have given up on. Likewise there have been many people who seemed to be perfect for the faith and yet they aren't serving God today.

No one is worthless and no effort of love is wasted. Just follow God's lead and watch as He brings out the best in others.