A Christian Perspective to Project Management

The role of Project Manager is largely a balancing act… meeting all the needs of the client (those they want you to know, those they need to know, and those they don’t care to know), while knowing your team well enough to give them the information they need to do their work without getting in their way, hindering productivity. Do these things and at the same time keep the team on time, on target, and on budget, checking in but not impeding, offering your help when asked but all the while respecting the individual team member’s perspective and contributions; all these things and more are necessary parts of successful Project Management. What’s more your success as a Project Manager, by definition, is measured by the success of your team not as an individual; make them look good and your role becomes ever more important not only to your firm’s leadership, your peers, and team mates, but also to the client. In the end you build relationships with your team and your client while building their trust in your abilities to lead as you show them what a Project Manager is meant to be. Your objective as Project Manager is to put others first by giving them the tools they need to do their craft and do it well. In Luke chapter fourteen Jesus instructed us this way… Luke 14:8-11 When you are invited to a wedding feast, don't sit in the best place. Someone more important may have been invited. (9) Then the one who invited you will come and say, "Give your place to this other guest!" You will be embarrassed and will have to sit in the worst place. (10) When you are invited to be a guest, go and sit in the worst place. Then the one who invited you may come and say, "My friend, take a better seat!" You will then be honored in front of all the other guests. (11) If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.

Inspire confidence in your team by keeping them up to date on current and relevant events throughout the project such as emails, schedules, equipment updates, owner comments, etc. don’t make them spend time looking for answers. You are the eyes and ears of the team; knowing the individual team member’s needs and deciphering between necessary information and that which only serves to bottle neck team efforts; this requires relationship and relationship demands that you work with your team to understand what they do. If you can do that then you can head off questions that are relevant to the client but do not require the immediate attention of your team. It is your job to satisfy the client’s concerns while allowing your team to stay productive, as much as possible. On the next team huddle it is your responsibility to update the team on these types of decisions as they relate to project progress.

You want a team that is full of energy, where productivity flows, and members take ownership of each project. Then update your team at the appropriate times, empower them to impact outcome, and remember your perspective is contagious. Don't be afraid to give away ownership, your value isn't found in owning achievements but instilling creativity, in leading a team that can tackle any obstacle, meeting, and exceeding the expectations of your clients. Adversely, you will wear yourself out pushing and prodding each team member and you will be left wondering why Project Managing is so much work. Fulfilling the role of Project Manager the wrong way is often to blame for many not wanting to do it. We’ve all known those who rely on micro managing to get work done. In the short-term it is easier to tell someone what to do than it is to lead and inspire but you’ll not only burn yourself out but you will have a group of people who are unwilling to follow you beyond your given authority. Additionally, no one likes being kept in the dark, only working on their small part and not knowing how it fits into the big picture. Instead people want to know how their contributions have helped to solve the needs of others; for fun follow up a project with news articles of how it has impacted the community or how it has helped your company to grow. Too many times people who are given the role of Project Manager were chosen because of their abilities but they are also people who already have plates full of other responsibilities and as a result they don’t have the time to give themselves fully to the position. When it comes to being a successful Project Manager time is just as important as abilities. Those without both either concentrate their efforts on client management or damage control after a problem occurs as a means of their own time management and is therefore unable to get the entire package right, not realizing a partial effort causes much inefficiency and worse runs the risk of a client being dissatisfied. In Exodus chapter eighteen we read about a similar situation. Moses was over all of Israel and when they had a problem they would look to him to resolve it but when his father-in-law saw it he instructed Moses to build leaders to meet the people’s needs and only the most important matters would be brought to him. This kept both Moses and the people from being worn out and all leadership positions require the same of us. We are to give it away! You know when you are doing what you are supposed to do when you have trained others to do what you are doing now. I have been in situations where I took on responsibility, gathered a team, built up leaders, and worked myself out of a position so that I could go on to do bigger things. The problem starts when we measure our own value through the positions we acquire, thereby causing productivity to be stagnate because we fear the unknown.

Your role as Project Manager should be transparent meaning the information you have gathered should be readily available to all team members and kept in an orderly fashion. When team members miss out on obtaining a client goal because an email sat in your inbox unseen by anyone but you they become frustrated and as a result they, to some extent, feel their trust was betrayed thus causing the role of Project Manager to become devalued or diminished. Too many times I’ve heard stories or have seen designers reluctantly assuming the role of Project Manager because the person assigned to that role was too disconnected from the project for one reason or another. Maybe they did not fully understanding what is required to fill the position or how important the role of Project Manager is in the development of a design is not understood, after all the PM doesn’t do the design work, right? If the picture you have of a Project Manager is a person who initially meets the client, answers occasional phone calls, and takes meetings then lets the team do the rest, then I would venture to say you are not well prepared for that role. There is a difference between allowing your team to take ownership and being disconnected or distracted.

A person who is meant to fill the role of Project Manager has more than just abilities and time but also the desire to see their team succeed. They are willing to invest his/her own time even if their efforts are not immediately recognized; having a good understanding of each team member’s part, they have the willingness to get in the trenches and help when needed and they genuinely are interested in offering solutions that not only meet the client’s expectations but have the means to deliver the results efficiently and through industry leading methods. Additionally, for many solutions the Project Manager seeks out the collaboration of different team members so they are also invested in the effort. Though project design details are not their priority they should understand each intricate detail to the extent that is required to explain all the reasons why to the client. They have the ability to make work fun and instill vision. Ultimately they make their team look good to the clients and their clients look good to the owner.

The heart of the best Project Manager knows what service is all about and is not afraid to lead by example, they are genuinely enthusiastic about building relationships, are excited about seeing others succeed, understanding the unique contribution of each team member and are able to maximize their potential for the best outcome. The Project Manager, though he/she has a desire to resolve issues through effective design, is first people-centered or should I say others centered and is able to keep sight of the big picture at all times so their team has space to work out each detail efficiently while inspired and invested in the outcome.

Not ruled by emotions

God made us to feel but He gave us minds to think as well; though our feelings allow us to be compassionate they can also cause us to be self-centered. Knowing God by reading His Word and through prayer we not only talk to Him but learn to listen so that His Holy Spirit might lead us differently than what our emotions would dictate. For all who are of Christ Jesus become like Him. We the Body of Christ use our feelings and our emotions to sense what is happening but no longer allow them to direct us. Instead when we feel jealous we turn to Jesus knowing that is not like Him and when we feel compassion we are compelled to action, not because we feel compassionate but because it confirmed how the Holy Spirit was already leading us. Our feelings are important and when used properly can cause us to have a greater awareness of the purpose of Christ in our lives.

Often we see Jesus stop on His journey to heal someone because He felt compassion for them. What He did for them depended upon their faith, as we see Him many times ask what He could do for them.

Luke 8:43-48 MKJV  And a woman who had a flow of blood twelve years (who had spent all her living on physicians, and could not be healed by any)  (44)  came behind Him and touched the border of His garment. And instantly her flow of blood was staunched.  (45)  And Jesus said, Who touched Me? And all having denied, Peter and those with Him said, Master, the crowd presses and jostles You, and You say, Who touched Me?  (46)  And Jesus said, Someone has touched Me, for I know that power has gone out of Me.  (47)  And seeing that she was not hidden, the woman came trembling. And falling down before Him, she declared to Him before all the people why she had touched Him, and how she was instantly healed.  (48)  And He said to her, Daughter, be comforted. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.

Now Jesus is God’s Son and so He is aware of all that is done, said, or even thought but He is also man and being such He is touched by the feelings of our infirmities. This is good Jesus being moved by the Holy Spirit senses our needs through His own feelings for us.

Hebrews 4:15-16 MKJV  For we do not have a high priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted just as we are, yet without sin.  (16)  Therefore let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

And so we are not to put away our feelings or hide them because they can mislead us but rather understand why Father God gave them to us in the first place. Like a cool summer wind blowing and causing the hair on our arm to tingle so too can our emotions make us aware of things unseen. If we know and depend on Father God to lead us first through His Word but also by His Holy Spirit then like Jesus we are to move beyond our emotions to go where He leads us or do what He tells us. Yes, this is where depending strictly on feelings causes us to fall short but through faith and obedience we go beyond being made aware to being vessels used by the Master to bring water to the thirsty and sight to the blind. For Christ Jesus displayed this when He went to the cross; He felt deeply yet He was obedient, for Isaiah calls Him the man of sorrows.

Isaiah 53:3-12 NLT  He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.  (4)  Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins!  (5)  But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.  (6)  All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on Him the sins of us all.  (7)  He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet He never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, He did not open His mouth.  (8)  Unjustly condemned, He was led away. No one cared that He died without descendants, that His life was cut short in midstream. But He was struck down for the rebellion of My people.  (9)  He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But He was buried like a criminal; He was put in a rich man's grave.  (10)  But it was the LORD's good plan to crush Him and cause Him grief. Yet when His life is made an offering for sin, He will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD's good plan will prosper in His hands.  (11)  When He sees all that is accomplished by His anguish, He will be satisfied. And because of His experience, My righteous Servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for He will bear all their sins.  (12)  I will give Him the honors of a victorious soldier, because He exposed Himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

The fingerprints of God

Jeremiah 1:5-7 MKJV  Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I consecrated you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.  (6)  Then I said, Alas, Lord Jehovah! Behold, I do not know to speak; for I am a boy.  (7)  But Jehovah said to me, Do not say, I am a boy; for you shall go to all that I shall send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

This is where faith leads you; for your questions go from is God real to does God really love me to can God use me in spite of all my faults and each step in this growing of your faith the fingerprints of God can be seen, if you know where to look.

1 Samuel 3:5-10 MKJV  And he ran to Eli, and said, Here am I. For you called me. And he said, I did not call. Go and lie down again. And he went to lie down.  (6)  And Jehovah called again, Samuel! And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, Here am I, for you called me. And he answered, I did not call, my son. Go back, lie down.  (7)  And Samuel did not yet know Jehovah, and the Word of Jehovah had not yet been revealed to him.  (8)  And Jehovah called Samuel again, the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, Here am I, for you called me. And Eli saw that Jehovah had called the child.  (9)  And Eli said to Samuel, Go, lie down; and it shall be, if One calls you, you shall say, Speak, Jehovah, for Your servant hears. And Samuel went to lie down in his place.  (10)  And Jehovah came and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel! Then Samuel answered, Speak, for Your servant hears.

So often I believe Jehovah comes near and calls to us but like Samuel we don’t realize who is calling so we cling to people or things only to find out they do not fill that God-shaped hole in our hearts but as we draw closer to God through studying His Word, through constant prayer, and through humbling ourselves before His feet in worship His Holy Spirit acts like Eli in that He shows us that it is not these things or individuals calling us but God Himself and our response to Him is to be, “Speak Lord for your servant is listening.”

Something significant happens once you cross this threshold in your life… you begin to see God in everything. Every day conversations are no longer about you as much as it is about what God is doing through you to speak to others. At the end of the day you ask God why something went the way it did and He reveals to you things that remind you He is God, He is in control, and like Jeremiah you see God has sent you places and God used you as His vessel to pour out His message of love to someone. It’s these times in your life that your faith grows exponentially and you, at least for a while or as long as your faith allows it, stay in a state of amazement and awe of what God is capable of, even through a broken vessel such as yourself.  

You see you can never return to where you came from because God has ruined you for any lesser love. A place where I can see God’s fingerprints in my life is in things that He has kept from me throughout my life or in things I once enjoyed but are no longer able to. Now listen carefully, these things were not bad in and of themselves but I would have tried to fill that God-shaped hole in my heart had God allowed these things or people to be present. Several years ago I noticed something very strange, things I said I loved were beginning to be taken from me such as certain types of food. These foods, in moderation was not bad for me but God showed me that some part of me I would have given away, some part of me that belonged to Him and so I have learned to be very selective about saying I “love” certain things , as a matter of fact I simply won’t do it or if I do checks the Holy Spirit has placed in my heart go off like warning signals.

This has happened with people in my life as well. Don’t misunderstand God hasn’t told me not to love anyone but there was once a girl whom I was sure I would be with for the rest of my life and even though we only went out on one date I was sure who she was fit perfectly with who I was but God said, “No.” For a long time I thought a mistake had been made but I see now God has set me apart for His purpose. Now I love my wife with everything I have and would lay my life down for her but the relationship I share with her doesn’t draw me away from God but closer to Him. I am not saying this other girl would have drawn me away from God had we been married for she is a beautiful child of God; no what I am saying is that I would have idolized her and placed her on a pedestal in my heart and therefore God did what was best for me and for her. The same is true with wealth, I’ve often wondered why God’s people, the ones He is closest to seem to many times just have enough but it is for the same reason… God doesn’t want anything coming between Him and His children and until we learn what has true value and what is worthy of giving our hearts to things we reach for God will gladly take away. Like a child reaching for the hot stove and the parent stops them before they get hurt. Sometimes the child is stubborn, trying many times but eventually the child begins to understand the father said no because he cares for and loves the child more than the child could possibly know and so it is with God and His children.

Where can you see the fingerprints of God in your life? If you are honest with yourself start with what you could have easily allowed to take the place of God but instead was mysteriously taken from you, either abruptly or your interests slowly faded away and see if God didn’t have something to do with it, look to see if God’s fingerprints aren’t there. Always remember God’s ways are higher than our ways and we not being able to see the whole picture must trust God with our very lives. We can choose to stumble around in the darkness thinking we know what’s best for our own lives but I choose to trust God knowing my life is not mine at all but instead His and He knows the plans He has for me when I am young and when I am old therefore I will serve the Lord all the days of my life.

Belief without sight

John 20:29 MKJV  Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen Me you have believed. Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed.

With all that is within I long to see Jesus with my own eyes but to long for only that would mean I miss out on this close personal walk I have with Him now, time which He has set apart just for me. Those Jesus came to visit in their own towns, which He touched and healed, how many of them would look at us and say I long for Jesus to live in my heart? To be with Him day and night, in good and bad times, never alone knowing He is with me always? Instead a few were able to touch Him or talk with Him briefly, many only got a glimpse through the crowds that always seem to surround Him. Many could only say Jesus came through my town once but we can say, “I walk with Him and tell Him my most intimate secretes and He is faithful to lead me so that my faith in Him might grow.” Once again it brings Free Will, which was given to us by God's sacrifice, front and center. What greater way can we tell Jesus we love Him than to give ourselves a living sacrifice in faith, ahead of seeing Him with our own eyes knowing His best for us is now but not yet!

Why are the ones who believe and have yet to see called blessed? How great is the joy of the wife or husband whose spouse returns from a long trip, better yet the spouse or parent that returns from the military whom they have not seen in a long time or maybe for the first time? We’ve all seen videos of soldiers returning home surprising the loved one who is hopeful but did not know their return was so near. For those who believe Jesus is who the Bible says He is there is a hunger inside to know Him better, to see Him face to face, and to touch His hand and worship at His feet. We long for that day when knowing Him and listening to His words no longer require faith but instead the faith we had in this journey is made complete. On that day we will be blessed not only because our faith turned to sight and our hope to touch but we will be blessed because of the relationship we already have from walking with Him through the hills, meadows, valleys, and mountain tops. We will remember the deserts and how He sustained us and the storms when all we could do was to hold on. You see all the things we experience in this life while walking with Jesus by faith make seeing Him face to face all the more glorious and filled with anticipation!

Hebrews 11:6 MKJV  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Matthew 5:6 MKJV  Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness! For they shall be filled.

To be broken

What if brokenness is the pathway to a God-centered life? What if the world has trained us to win, so much so that we push God out of our lives unaware? What if we have an unhealthy view of what it means to lose? Is not Satan the one who enticed mankind so that their own selfishness would lead them away from God and was it not Satan that used that selfishness to manipulate and deceive for his own purposes in the garden? Has not Satan vowed to turn people away from God and are we not used as pawns to be like arrows from the enemy of God shot at the heart of God?

If this is true than the view our flesh has of what a winner looks like is centered in selfishness and pride and we are consumed with it so much that the enemy (Satan) hardly has to lift a finger and therefore is able to be concerned with more important things such as governments and world powers. As a matter of fact his investment of planting the ideal of needing to win at everything is like you and I having a savings account at the bank, in that if we leave it alone we can watch it pay back with interest. Do you think the hunter does not know the purpose of the trap he sets and do you think he does not consider where he places it knowing where the prey will come and go?

Jesus said this, John 15:20 KJV  Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

Was Jesus not broken and was not this brokenness that which allowed Him to feel our infirmities, our sorrows, and our pain?

Hebrews 4:15 KJV  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Mark 2:17 KJV  When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

If Jesus, our Lord, went through these things so that He might minister to the needy then how much more do we need to go through the same? How much more do we need to understand the reason He came to die for the outcast, the marginalized, and those which the world has placed a scarlet letter around their necks? Which allows us to do the most for God – us being the best Christian we can be by developing our strengths or being broken so that God’s strength can be made known? One points to us the other points to God!

Matthew 19:26 KJV  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

If we don’t want the limitations of this flesh then we have to follow Jesus and if we follow Jesus we must know what it means to be broken, as He was broken. In this our own relationship with Him becomes more real, more important, and ever present. We look at the heroes of the faith, many being martyred, and think what it would be like to have their faith but when God leads us in that direction we resist because of our unwillingness to be broken. Therefore, without this important step our life as a “Christian” is dull and mundane – we live a good moral life but without the impact of someone surrendered fully to God.

Recognizing faith

Real faith leads to real obedience. Faith is not given all at once but slowly increases as we are found faithful to follow where God leads us. We all want to do something “big” for God but all God is asking is that we simply trust Him and obey and until we can do that we will never get beyond the foundation. Forget tall towers or sanctuaries or places of refuge built in Jesus’ name without baby steps taken first we simply do not move forward on the journey He has planned for us and what He has purposed for us to do never is accomplished! Sure others will go on to do great things in Jesus’ name but if we believe He has made each of us unique then we must also believe the plan He has for each of us is unique as well and because of this some question goes unanswered but be assured God’s purpose will succeed, what we must understand is that we are required to give an account for what we did and did not do.

James 2:14 MKJV  My brothers, what profit is it if a man says he has faith and does not have works? Can faith save him?

What is faith? It is knowing that which cannot be seen, which cannot be explained. Faith starts out because God’s Holy Spirit gives it to us. Until we have real relationship with God we do not know Him and trust requires knowing someone, therefore faith starts when the Holy Spirit reveals truth to our spirit. While the world requires evidence before believing God requires faith and therefore faith bridges the gap between our understanding and that which God says is true.

Hebrews 11:1 MKJV  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Matthew 16:17 MKJV  Jesus answered and said to him, You are blessed, Simon, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but My Father in Heaven.

1 Corinthians 2:10 MKJV  (10)  But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God.

John 20:29 MKJV  Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen Me you have believed. Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed.

Therefore if we say we have faith we will step out of the boat and onto the water because we believe Jesus is who He says He is. You see real faith requires action, for without action we have not yet believed what God has said to be true and like Peter often we want to believe and then are stopped quickly by doubt.

Matthew 14:30-31 NIV  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"  (31)  Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

Mark 9:23-24 NIV  "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." (24)  Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

Sometimes our faith needs to be spoken. The centurion knew Jesus was the Son of God and therefore healing was under His command; furthermore he knew Jesus’ desire to heal and show mercy (undeserved favor) to people so that they might know of God’s great love. Still it was not good enough to just know this but he had to come to Jesus and humbly ask and that is when we see Jesus bless him, not only that but honored his great faith! In this story the asking was the action faith required.

Luke 7:6-10 NIV  So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.  (7)  That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  (8)  For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  (9)  When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." (10)  Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

In my bloodline there are worriers and if I am not careful sometimes I find myself there but I am quickly reminded worry is the opposite of real faith. If I believe God loves me and I am the center of His attention then what have I to worry about? Worry comes most often because of disobedience and the following consequences and though we know God loves us we do not know what God will allow so that we might learn the lesson of listening and obeying. If I speed down the highway and the patrolman pulls me over I should not expect God to keep me from getting a ticket and in the same way if I am not faithful to handle my finances according to God’s plan I should not expect to experience freedom in that area but none of these consequences means God does not love me, instead it tells me He does!

Matthew 6:27-33 NIV  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (28)  "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. (29)  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. (30)  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (31)  So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' (32)  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. (33)  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Hebrews 12:6-7 MKJV  for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and He scourges every son whom He receives."  (7)  If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons, for what son is he whom the father does not chasten?

Often circumstance come about because of our own choices but there are times when we face something not because of bad choices but because Father God is leading us to grow, but even then we must have faith that He loves us, knows what is best for us, and trust He will lead us through so that when we come out the other side we have become who He wants us to be, for this is real faith and if we want to be pleasing to God it is required.

James 1:2-8 MKJV  My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different kinds of temptations,  (3)  knowing that the trying of your faith works patience.  (4)  But let patience have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.  (5)  But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and with no reproach, and it shall be given to him.  (6)  But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed.  (7)  For do not let that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord;  (8)  he is a double-minded man, not dependable in all his ways.

Only God can judge

Man judges based on circumstances and actions and their interpretation of these but only God judges the heart. Only God can truly decide who is innocent and who is guilty, that’s the reason we’re told not to do it; it simply isn’t our job.

Luke 6:41 MKJV  And why do you look at the splinter that is in your brother's eye, but do not see the beam that is in your own eye?

For we see in part but God knows the whole story; He sees each time the heart makes a selfish decision long before the body is moved to action. How many times did Jesus scold the Pharisees even though on the outside they had the appearance of having everything in order? It was because He knew their hearts.

Matthew 23:27 MKJV  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outside, but inside they are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

There are those who will agree with me and immediately think of a situation when they were judged unfairly but are completely blind to the judging they are doing to others even now and it would seem as if God Himself has hardened their hearts as Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.  For Pharaoh turned from God so many times because the thought of one being higher than himself repulsed him so much that finally it was no longer Pharaoh hardening his own heart but God.

Exodus 8:32 MKJV  And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.

Exodus 9:12 MKJV  And Jehovah hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, even as Jehovah had spoken to Moses.

God made an example of Pharaoh not only to the nation of Israel but to any nation that would come against God’s people, that all would be warned though these people make mistakes they belong to God and God alone will judge them.

So the next time you see someone do something that you do not approve of know this… You are not God, nor do you know their circumstances. Yes there are absolutes and yes there are consequences to be paid but what does that have to do with you? Are you the tip of God’s sword cutting and slashing all who do not measure up? Do you take one side over the other because you think you have some special insight not made available to anyone else? Ask yourself this – where did your insight come from - God or man? If it came from man be careful because you are in danger of being judged yourself and if it came from God that means the Holy Spirit revealed it to you and if that is the case it is because God trusts you. How are you handling the trust that you have been given? Do you love that person the way Jesus does or do you have stones in your hand? It matters not what your agenda is if you cannot accomplish it and at the same time be Jesus to that person who has done wrong in your eyes and if that be the case then you either did not get your information from God or you abused His trust. Know this by doing this their test has become your own.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 MKJV  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?  (10)  I Jehovah search the heart, I try the reins, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.