Fair Assumptions? Think Again!

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Many decades ago, when my husband and I were contemplating adding another little person to our family, I voted yes while he was an emphatic no! As in many families, it was an ongoing topic for quite some time. One day, Bob was coming home late so I planned a surprise dinner for him complete with candles, flowers, delicious food, etc. I had found a cute stuffed flamingo with a top hat and bow tie and thought that would make a fun maitre d’. I sat him on the edge of the table with the menu penned to his lapel.

Bob finally made it home and as he walked past the table, he took one look at that flamingo with the note and bristled past it down the hall without saying a word. I was left wondering what had ruffled his feathers?! Long story really short, he thought the flamingo was a stork and the dinner was my way of making the big announcement. OMG! He had assumed number three was on the way! Wrong assumption by a long shot!! But when you stop and think about it, people make false assumptions all the time. We all do! Assuming you have enough gas in the car when it shows empty – just ignore the problem and it will go away – and my favorite – I think this new puppy is housebroken. Ugh – been there done that.

But there are also assumptions that are dangerous – perilous actually. One that comes to mind is: “Don’t worry – everything will work out alright in the end!” Ouch! Are you kidding me? Proverbs 14:12 tells us that “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” This is one truth we had better get right. I always tell people that life is short and eternity is a long time to spend in the wrong place. People often spend more time re-painting their bathroom than looking into the God question, assuming things will somehow just work out in the end.

Another humongous false assumption is that our free speech will last forever, that it can never be tampered with. I beg to differ – just watching the evening news cements my view that our freedom of speech is hanging by a thread. It was George Washington who said, “If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”

I would submit to you that hearing salvation issues and freedom of speech are tightly linked together and our loss of either ought to be of major concern to everyone! Romans 10:14 is one of the most thought-provoking verses in the Bible on this topic: “How can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?” Speaking out and “telling” is a big deal and that freedom should never be taken for granted.

Just this last week NBC News anchor Lester Holt received high praise after saying reporters don’t need to hear both sides of a story before determining the “truth.” He is quoted as saying that “fairness is overrated…the ideas that we should always give two sides equal weight and merit does not reflect the world we find ourselves in.” What world does Lester live in where whole truth no longer matters and who died and made him God?! Are we now left to assume he is telling us everything we need to know? As someone once noted: “Your assumption, and the truth, dine at totally separate tables.”

I am not going to assume for a nano-second that our “ethical” media is giving us the truth. Even Jesus spoke out constantly giving both sides of the picture – right & wrong, truth & error, heaven & hell. He left no room for assumptions – our choices are plainly spelled out for us! Proverbs 18:17 reminds us that “There are two sides to every story. The first one to speak sounds true until you hear the other side…”

Someone recently remarked that “We may no longer be the land of the free but we are still the home of the brave.” As free speech is being contested, it’s more important than ever to step up to the plate and boldly speak truth to people – this is no time for assumptions – true or false! As that verse in Romans asks, how can people come to know and believe in Almighty God unless someone tells them?! Could that “someone” be you?!

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you can visit them at DPCityChurch.org.

Susan Beckett • The Dwelling Place Church

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