Why do people do the things that they do? We know, based on the examination of human nature, why man does certain things. Some people are motivated by money. This has been the motive behind many crimes, as well as destructive behavior like gambling, dishonest business practices, etc. Passion is another motive that has moved many people to do regrettable things in the past. Crimes of passion have always been very common.

People do things for different reasons, and while we are familiar with some motives that move people to act, we cannot determine the motives of others without specific evidence. This brings us to judging others. We have to be careful that we do not judge the motives of others, thinking that we can somehow read hearts. The Bible reminds us that we do not have such capability.

1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)
⁷ But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward ap-pearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”

This passage tells us, not only that the Lord looks on the heart, something the Bible verifies in many different passages (Psalms 139:1-12; Jeremiah 20:12; Acts 1:24), but that He does not see as we do, meaning that we cannot look on the heart. In 1 Kings 8:39, Solomon said to the Lord in prayer, “for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind.”

Do not try to be a reader of hearts. If you think that you know why someone does something, apart from very specific evidence, you are only guessing. Do you remember what Paul wrote about knowing the thoughts of others? Listen to him:

1 Corinthians 2:11 (ESV)
¹¹ For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

When a brother or sister in Christ sins, we do not know why. It may become apparent when more evidence comes in, or even better yet, when the person reveals it, but until then we should not judge motives.

Do not conclude the worse about a Christian who stumbles. While there is never a justifiable excuse for sin, some is more explainable, especially when all the facts are revealed. We may discover that a brother tried very hard to avoid the particular sin that finally got the best of him. In-stead of judging motives, the Bible teaches us to do what we can to help (Galatians 6:1).

When we automatically come to the worse conclusion about a brother who is sinning, thinking that we know why he is doing it, we very rarely try to rectify the situation. Because we think we know the motive behind it, and usually conclude that the motive is something bad like not loving the Lord very much, we just write the brother off without trying to help. Only the devil benefits from such a response.

Let us not judge motives from afar with no real evidence for our conclusion. Instead, let us learn the facts of the situation by talking to our brother or sister to help them overcome the sin and be restored. After all, that is the way we would like others to treat us when we sin.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.