Day 7 of 21 Day Challenge

John 7:41-42 says, "Others said, 'He is the Christ.' Still others asked, 'How can the Christ come from Galilee? Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?'" People had seen Jesus perform miracles and had listened to Him speak. In verse 15, it says that the Jews were amazed and wondered "How did this man get such learning without having studied?" The things they had seen and heard caused some to believe Jesus was the Christ, but others thought He couldn't be the Christ because He was from Galilee. Oh how foolish they were! If they had only asked Jesus if he had always lived in Nazareth or asked Him where He was born, they would have discovered that He was born in Bethlehem...the very place they knew the Christ would come from! This made me think about how easy it can be to judge people based solely on what we see or hear. Do we go to the person and find out the entire truth? Do we really know everything there is to know about them? Don't make the same mistake these people in Jesus' day did! Don't make a snap decision because you think you know everything about the person. Get to know that person personally and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Proverbs 16:31 says "Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life." I guess this verse stuck out at me today because lately I've been noticing how much gray hair I have, and I haven't been thrilled about it! I loved the thought of my gray hair being a crown of splendor, but the second part of the verse made me contemplate how I couldn't say I've always lived a righteous life. It was then that I realized that a person with gray hair is one who a young person should turn to if they want wise advice. Teenagers may think they know more than their parents and every other "old" person, but hopefully they are taught to respect their elders and listen to them. Teenagers can learn a lot from people who are older than themselves and could save themselves a lot of trouble if they listened to the wisdom of those who have "been there, done that". Have we made sure our kids know that older people deserve our respect? Do they know to not just dismiss what they have to say as "old fashioned" or "out of date"? I was blessed to have godly grandparents and parents, and I learned a lot from listening to what they had to say. I have a renewed determination to make sure my kids know to respect their elders by listening to them and taking to heart what they are told by them.