Practical Advice for Me
Judge not, that you be not judged....Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?...You hypocrite, first take the log of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Matt. 7:1-5, RSV.
No one can accuse Jesus of not having a sense of humor as He looked out at His disciples and the rest of His "church" or audience, He knows them just as He does us. And He recognized that some of His followers would possess a critical spirit and would be perpetually seeking to expound upon the sawdust specks in the eyes of other church members, all the while running around with a two-by-four hanging out of their eye socket.
Why is it that those who seem to have such obvious problems in their own lives have such a burden to straighten out others? It happens in families, in churches, and all other areas of life.
Once again in His inaugural sermon Jesus sets forth important principles on how to live in His kingdom. Now, however, He has shifted the focus to a Christian's relationship to others.
Here we see Jesus at His practical, down-to-earth best in dealing with us as human beings in our everyday life. His illustrations are not only powerful and memorable but also true to life. Who hasn't had the dubious "privilege" of receiving advice from some person who has the problem 10 times worse?
When all is said and done about and logs, it is important to note that we really do have a responsibility to others with their genuine specks (rather than those based upon our biased thinking).
But never forget that we are not commanded to be speck removers until after we have become successful beam extractors. In other words, we need to seek the Lord to help us see ourselves clearly and to aid us in caring for our own issues before we humbly attempt to help others. Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing puts it nicely: "You cannot exert an influence that will transform others until your own heart has been humbled and refined and made tender by the grace of Christ. When this change has been wrought in you, it will be as natural for you to live to bless others as it is for the rosebush to yield the fragrant bloom or the vine its purple clusters" (p. 127).
Lord, I need help with my logs, beams, and two-by-fours.
Judge not, that you be not judged....Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?...You hypocrite, first take the log of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Matt. 7:1-5, RSV.
No one can accuse Jesus of not having a sense of humor as He looked out at His disciples and the rest of His "church" or audience, He knows them just as He does us. And He recognized that some of His followers would possess a critical spirit and would be perpetually seeking to expound upon the sawdust specks in the eyes of other church members, all the while running around with a two-by-four hanging out of their eye socket.
Why is it that those who seem to have such obvious problems in their own lives have such a burden to straighten out others? It happens in families, in churches, and all other areas of life.
Once again in His inaugural sermon Jesus sets forth important principles on how to live in His kingdom. Now, however, He has shifted the focus to a Christian's relationship to others.
Here we see Jesus at His practical, down-to-earth best in dealing with us as human beings in our everyday life. His illustrations are not only powerful and memorable but also true to life. Who hasn't had the dubious "privilege" of receiving advice from some person who has the problem 10 times worse?
When all is said and done about and logs, it is important to note that we really do have a responsibility to others with their genuine specks (rather than those based upon our biased thinking).
But never forget that we are not commanded to be speck removers until after we have become successful beam extractors. In other words, we need to seek the Lord to help us see ourselves clearly and to aid us in caring for our own issues before we humbly attempt to help others. Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing puts it nicely: "You cannot exert an influence that will transform others until your own heart has been humbled and refined and made tender by the grace of Christ. When this change has been wrought in you, it will be as natural for you to live to bless others as it is for the rosebush to yield the fragrant bloom or the vine its purple clusters" (p. 127).
Lord, I need help with my logs, beams, and two-by-fours.
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