The Danger of Assumptions and Presumptions
Weâve all heard the saying: âDonât make assumptions.â And for good reason. When we assume, we act as though we fully understand a situationâwithout actually taking the time to investigate or discern the truth. Assumptions are conclusions drawn without sufficient evidence, and theyâre often wrong.
Wrong assumptions fuel prejudice, racism, and harmful stereotypes. They fracture marriages, disrupt neighborhoods, and create tension in workplaces. When we think we know something we havenât taken the time to understand, we often alienate others and make poor decisions.
Even Jesus experienced rejection based on false assumptions. Many believed He was a threat simply because He didnât meet their expectations of how the Messiah should act. They didnât pause to truly understand His missionâor His heart.
But if assumptions are dangerous, presumptions can be even more damaging.
To presume means to take something for granted. It implies an even greater level of certaintyâoften without any more ...
Are you seeing the Kingdom of God around you?
Sometimes, my wife canât believe how blind I can be â especially when Iâm searching for something in the refrigerator. There are many moments when I miss things that are right in front of me â clothes that need to go upstairs, trash that needs to be taken out, dishes that need washing. Itâs rarely intentional, I promise.
But thereâs a different kind of blindness that Jesus talked about â one that goes beyond missing something on a shelf. In Luke 17:20-21, He said, âThe coming of the Kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, âHere it is,â or âThere it is,â because the Kingdom of God is in your midst.â
Jesus was pointing out that Godâs Kingdom isnât always obvious. Itâs not something you can just see on the surface. Itâs something that requires attention, discernment, and spiritual insight. It often works quietly beneath the surface, in ways that are easy to miss if weâre not paying attention.
Take, for example, the moment when Jesus was watching peopl...
You May Have More Authority Than You Realize
Does it ever seem to you like nothing much is really happening in your neck of the Kingdom of God?Â
How long has it been since you have seen significant transformation in the lives or health of people you personally know?Â
Does it feel like you are just going through the motions of faith â which quite possibly is not faith at all?
Jesus lived an expression of faith that made a difference. He seemed to engage heaven and earth - the spiritual and relational, to great affect and effect. Paul referred to Jesus as the second Adam because He walked in the purposes of Godâs created order.Â
God formed people in His own image, and intended them to rely upon His wisdom and direction, and to represent His will, in His authority, on the earth. (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-20)Â Jesus understood this and lived accordingly, saying,
âBy Myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and My judgment is just, for I seek not to please Myself but Him who sent Me.â (John 5:30)Â
He had an intimate relat...
