Do I Think Too Much?

My brother-in-law, also a Pastor, recently posted with a question on facebook: "A man I just 'buried' was baptized 75 years ago but never attended church since. Is he in heaven today? What do you say? What does Scripture say?'"

Some of the replies were quotes from scripture but too many others were just personal opinions whether referencing scripture or not. Do you know what I mean? It was like saying a perfunctory prayer preceding the meal so we can go ahead and eat. As a prayer may be nothing more than changed words, using a verse in this way is sort of like, "Here's a verse from the Bible. Now let me tell you what I really think." As a matter of fact, I seem to recall a good number of "I think…" statements in those replies.

This is something I need to be more sensitive in my own life. I remember Billy Graham saying, "The Bible says…". I really liked that. It seems what I hear nowadays is more pontification than proclamation. I need to spend more time looking in the mirror for beams.