Power of People Picking

Key Scripture: “Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.”  Matthew 7:1-5

Power Point:

There are a lot of good things you can pick. You can pick flowers. You can pick fruit from the fruit trees. You can pick fresh produce at the grocery store. If you don’t want to cook, you can pick up a tasty meal on your way home from work. 

There are some things that God is very specific about us NOT picking and that’s when we start picking on other people.  There are two good reasons for not being a “people picker”.  Number one is that God doesn’t like it.  He Himself does not judge and condemn us so its probably a good rule of thumb that we shouldn’t do that either, especially if we want to be more like Him. If you “pick someone to pieces” every chance you get, then you probably are going to find yourself being picked on and picked apart by other people. I was praying for someone who was going through a really rough time not long ago.  They were being “picked on” by several people in their workplace.  As I was praying one day, I clearly saw that although this person was nice to me, they frequently were critical of other people to me.  In fact, they were reaping exactly what they had sown. Ouch!

The deeper we grow in our relationship with our heavenly Father the more we begin to think like Jesus. The more we begin to love like "They" love then “picking” needs to move out of our frame of reference doesn’t it?  If we’re commanded to love one another, being critical of another person shouldn’t even enter the picture should it? 

When I find myself falling back into that very bad pattern of thinking I run to Jesus and ask Him to help me be transformed by the wonderful thoughts in His mind. I’m believing that one day, very soon, I won’t even allow those thoughts and those harsh words to even enter my mind!

You see, I really love God, and I certainly don’t want to make Him sad by picking on people that He loves. And, to be honest, I don’t want to reap those results in my own life.

Will you join me today to begin an “anti-people-picking” crusade? If you hear someone being critical of someone else then find something positive to say. Don’t allow other people to pull you down the slippery slope of picking on people and jumping on their failures. We simply must stop trying to make people jump through our hoops to get our approval.  Decide right now that judging, and criticizing and “people-picking” are just not in your vocabulary any more.

“…we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it.”

Power Thought:

When I speak, God listens. (Will it be good or that could be bad?)