Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 30th of January, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go straight to the Gospel of Mark 9:40. Jesus says:

For he who is not against us is on our side.”

Then we go to John 18:38:

”Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.”

In fact he said that twice. He said it again in John 19:4:

“I find no fault in Him”.

He who is not against us is on our side.

We need to be very careful that we don’t judge people. Pontius Pilate was an infidel. He was a Roman governor. He had more compassion for Jesus than the Pharisees and the Chief Priests. In fact, he tried to defend Him. Always keep the door wide open. I’m talking to a lady who’s stressing because her husband does not want to pray the sinner's prayer with her. Keep the door open. He will come through, just keep praying for him. 

I’m praying for that young girl. Mom and dad are pulling their hair out. She just does not want to know about the Lord. Well, she’s not against the Lord. She just feels, she doesn’t need the Lord, at the moment. Keep the door wide open, she’ll come home just like the Prodigal Son. Never judge a book by it’s cover. What does that mean? Well, it might have a very nice cover on the outside and be quite boring on the inside. However, it might have a plain cover and be exciting inside.

I want to tell you a little story. A very good friend of mine, Allan Kruger,  was the manager of the huge Kings Park Rugby Stadium. I approached him to book that stadium for the very first big event we ever had, and when I came into his office, he was flat out so busy organising Michael Jackson coming and all kinds of people and he didn’t seem to have too much time for me. He was trying to be kind but he was busy. Well, I want to tell you something now, eventually I persuaded him to hire it to us and then he said, ”Do you realise what’s involved? You’re going to have to have a disaster management committee.” He brought out a heap of forms. He said, ”But on second thoughts, I’ll handle that for you.” He said then, ”Do you realise that you have to have your lighting system?” I said, ”Yes.” He said, “Well, I’ll do that for you.” And he just went on and on. You know that that man organised everything for us. Yes, and he wasn’t a Christian, as per se, but on the big night when it was all over, I stood with Allan Kruger on the twenty-two metre line of that rugby field, and the two of us prayed the sinner’s prayer together. Never ever judge a book by its cover. Jesus says, ”He who is not against us is on our side.”

God bless you and goodbye. 

Angus Buchan