"Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your brother's eye, but you don't notice the big piece of wood that is in your own eye? Why do you say to your brother, 'Let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye'?
Look at yourself first! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye. You are a hypocrite. First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your brother's eye. - Matthew 7:3-5 (ERV)
THOUGHT:
Jesus reminds us that we often pass judgment on others to keep from examining ourselves. This is wrong. In fact, it is obnoxiously and hypocritically wrong in God’s eyes. Before we start removing someone else's sawdust, we had better get our own blinding 2x4 plank out of our way. It's ridiculous for us to spend so much time finding all the little things that are wrong with others while we ignore our own huge problems. Let's address our own problems, weaknesses, sins, and inconsistencies before we start trying to "fix" anybody else!
PRAYER:
Almighty and compassionate Father, you have been so patient and kind with me. You provided Jesus as the sacrifice that purifies me from my sin. You sent your Spirit to help complete your work of maturing me. Please bless me as I try to be honest with my own failures, sins, and shortcomings. I don't want to let Satan use discouragement from my failures to embarrass or alienate me from you or your people.
But Father, neither do I want to pretend they are not there and leave them un-addressed by your grace and at odds with your righteousness. Please work in me your holy will and produce in me your holy character and not find the faults of others to keep from dealing with my own. In the holy name of your Messiah and my Savior, Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Related Scriptures:
So do you think that you can judge those other people? You are wrong. You too are guilty of sin. You judge those people, but you do the same bad things they do. So when you judge them, you are really judging yourself guilty. God judges the people that do those wrong things.
And we know that God's judgment is right. You also judge the people that do those wrong things. But you do those wrong things too. So surely you understand that God will judge you. You will not be able to escape. God has been very kind to you. And he has been patient with you. God has been waiting for you to change. But you think nothing of his kindness. Maybe you don't understand that God is kind to you so that you will change your hearts and lives. - Romans 2:1-4
"I will tell you the kind of special day I want--a day to make people free. I want a day that you take the burdens off people. I want a day when you make the troubled people free. I want a day when you take the burdens from their shoulders. I want you to share your food with the hungry people. I want you to find poor people that don't have homes, and I want you to bring them into your own homes. When you see a man that has no clothes--give him your clothes!
Don't hide {from helping those people}; they are just like you." If you do these things, your light will begin shining like the light of dawn. Then your wounds will heal. Your "Goodness" (God) will walk in front of you, and the Glory of the Lord will come following behind you. Then you will call to the Lord, and the Lord will answer you. You will shout to the Lord, and he will say, "Here I am." You should stop making troubles and burdens for people. You should stop using bitter words and blaming people for things. - Isaiah 58:6-9
Brothers and sisters, a person in your group might do something wrong. You people who are spiritual should go to the person who is sinning. You should help to make him right again. You should do this in a gentle way. But be careful! You might be tempted to sin, too. Help each other with your troubles. When you do this, you truly obey the law of Christ.
If a person thinks that he is important when he is really not important, he is only fooling himself. A person should not compare himself with other people. Each person should judge his own actions. Then he can be proud for what he himself has done. Each person must accept his own responsibility. - Galatians 6:1-5
