Skip to main content

Planks and Specks

 Planks and specks

Matt 7:1-5.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Many of us focus too much on verses 1-2 and end up missing the point of 3-5. Whenever you notice something in someone else’s life that is off it usually is because this is or has been in your life. Kind recognizes kind.
For example it is easy for me to recognize even the slightest bit of pride issues in someone else because pride has been a huge issue in my life.
The heart of Jesus in these verses is that first we examine and deal with our own issues. Once we have done this we are now able to help someone else. If you have ever had something in your eye you know the pain of it regardless of how large it maybe. Therefore when you help another with getting something out of their eye you do it with the compassion and understanding of one who has experienced the same discomfort.
With sin issues in other people we don’t ignore it but we also don’t come at them with condemnation, harshness nor a superior attitude. No we come as those who have always struggled with sin and have received the grace and mercy of God. We show this to others because we know that the speck of sin in their lives is causing them pain and harm. To simply ignore it would be just as bad as condemning judgement.
So the next time you see sin in someone else first do a self examination and deal with any of that sin in you and then go in love under the leadership of the Spirit and help the other. Sometimes it is directly confronting the sin and other times it is praying for them concerning the sin. Being led by Holy Spirit is the way to know which choice to make.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Price and Cost for more of God and His Presence

  The Price and Cost for more of God and His Presence I was reading an account of a preacher’s experience that I had previous heard him describe before in a sermon. Thought the account was familiar to me this time though it hit different.   The experience was during a time he had spent months desiring and seeking more of God and His Presence.  There were two statements that the preacher made from this account that the Lord highlighted for me.  The first was “My request for more of God carried a price” and the second was from his cry to the Lord “I must have more of You at any cost!”. These statements when I had heard them before sounded very true and I totally had agreed with them.  In fact, they had inspired me.  This time, though, was different.  This time there was at first, for a moment fear and not a Godly fear.  No, it was a fear that the price I would have to pay would be the cost of the life of one or mor...
1 comment
Read more

Unity

  I had the great privilege of meeting with John Abbe this morning before work.  (Even though I got myself messed up and was about 30 minutes late John gave me much grace and waited for me. Thank you again John) We had a very interesting conversation about unity in the body of Christ.  As I have been meditating over this conversation  Ephesians 4:13 came to mind specifically the first part.   “ till we all  come to the unity  of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;”   There are several things that jump out to me now.  We come to unity.  Unity doesn’t just happen it is something that we come to.  It seems to me that this has the implication that unity has an aspect that is dependent upon us to choose.  I would say that many times where there isn’t unity it is because we haven’t made the choice...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pentecost

  Pentecost This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. This is important to many of us because it was on this day almost 2 thousand years ago that the promise of the Father began to be poured out. I encourage everyone reading this to go to Acts 2 and read the account of all that happened.  I would like to draw attention to a couple of things.  The first is that the Father hasn’t stopped the pour.  Acts 2 was the beginning not the end. Second the most important result was not the 120 speaking in tongues (Acts 2:4) but that 3,000 souls were not only saved but added and continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine and fellowship (Acts 2:40-42).  The promise of the Father was never meant to be kept in the house (Acts 1:80). 
Post a Comment
Read more